Delhi raised the question in the early part of last year, when the AASU and some political parties demanded fulfilment of all the promises made in the Assam Accord of 1985.

The accord ended the six-year anti-foreigner movement and promised a satisfactory solution to the problem of illegal migration to Assam. But over two decades later, it remains in the headlines only as a promise unfulfilled.

Sharma harked back to history to prove that Assam stood strong and united even as early as the 14th century, when the Bodo king Manikfa or Mahamaniko patronised the Assamese translation of the Ramayan.

Giving a hint of what his book contains, he said one of the suggestions was that the question must be taken to the masses for a democratic debate on the issue. ?I hope the common people will be forced to think and react on the issue.?

The writer said he had also dwelt on the ?chauvinistic attitude of the so-called Assamese elites?, whom he accused of trying to subjugate different economically weak ethnic groups. ?Today, every community in the state is seeking its own identity. This has occurred due to the selfish motives of a few who are out to fulfil their own interests. If each community is allowed to delineate its space, the word ?Assamese? will have be omitted from the dictionary.?

On what should be done to stop this, Sharma said: ?We need a cultural movement, one that is strong enough to rekindle the feeling of oneness among all. Economic empowerment is another solution to the problem.?

An alumnus of the Delhi School of Economics, the writer?s previous work ? Cultural Studies: Themes and Perspectives ? was critically acclaimed. His next book is based on the Bodo movement.

Asked whether he was expecting Asomiya Kun to rake up a controversy, Sharma said: ?I am not at all concerned about whether the book may raise the hackles of anybody.?