North-east was made up of seven partners of equal standing and that there was no question of imposition . of Assamese on Assam's hill people. The main purpose of holding the session at Diphu was to get at least some sections of the hill people and their leadership involved and interested in the Sabha's programmes. Whether the Sabha has really succeeded in this and whether it has been, even if partially, able to neutralise the influence of the Bodo Sahitya Sabha, the organisation which claims to speak on behalf of the Bodos, remains to be seen; The Sdihhysi Sabha's growing political role becomes apparent from the President's annual address which not only dwelt with the problem of foreigners in the state but also emphasised that the Sabha would not allow Assam to be converted into a 'colony of India'. Defending the rights of the small states within the Indian Republic, Sitanath Brahmachoudhury demanded that the Centre should take steps to prevent a situation "whereby small states would be wiped out or weakened". While asserting the right of the Assamese people to fight for their cultural and linguistic identity, the Sabha President accused the government of trying to set up a new Sahitya ,Sabha "with some literateurs with Government following". The Sabha President declared that, if necessary, yet another agitation would be launched "to give a rightful place to the Assamese language and also for its wider use", The Presidential,address, which was sharply critical of the government, marked a strong departure from earlier such addresses.
