Guwahati, March 30: Delhi wants to know who is an Assamese. Assam and its Assembly of elected representatives are confused and still fighting over the definition.

Another ruckus on the issue enveloped the Assembly today when Independent legislator Pranab Kalita labelled Speaker Tanka Bahadur Rai “an outsider”. Legislators of the ruling Congress-led coalition as well as the Opposition instantly rose in protest, forcing the legislator to withdraw his remark and make an apology. The Speaker later ordered that the remark be expunged from the records of the day’s proceedings.

But what about the answer to the question about who is an Assamese?

Dhrupad Borgohain of the CPI put the dilemma into perspective. He said it was unfortunate that the state was pondering the definition of Assamese even 22 years after the Assam Accord was signed.

Delhi has asked for a clear-cut definition because it is integral to the implementation of Clause VI of the historic accord. The clause is meant to provide constitutional, legal and administrative protection to the Assamese people.

Borgohain said the debate over who is eligible to be called an “Assamese” should have ended a long time ago, considering that the Tribhuvan Prasad Tewary Commission gave an appropriate definition in its 1984 report to the government. Quoting from the report, he said: “While defining who is an Assamese, a reference to the National Register of Citizens or a minimum period of domicile in Assam or such other conditions as might be found reasonable may be examined.”

Legislators Karendra Basumatary and Maneswar Brahma, both from the Bodoland People’s Progressive Front (BPPF), said the word “Assamese” should be replaced in the accord with “people of Assam” to encompass all ethnic groups of the state.

Not to be left behind, AGP (Pragatisheel) chief Prafulla Kumar Mahanta said the erstwhile AGP-led government had recommended an apt definition to the then V.P. Singh-led coalition government at the Centre. “Any community, tribe or Indian citizen whose mothertongue is Assamese or any indigenous language and those who have been immensely contributing to the progress and development of the state and also contributed for the development of Assamese or indigenous languages and culture should be treated as Assamese,” it says.

Minister Bhumidhar Barman, who holds the accord implementation portfolio, said the government was trying to evolve a consensus on the issue and had solicited the opinions of all political parties and organisations, especially the Asam Sahitya Sabha and the All Assam Students’ Union.