Manipur govt to send MLAs to Delhi to press Centre for NRC implementation

Key points

• He recalled that the Assembly had passed a resolution on August 5, 2022, urging that NRC be taken up in…
• Former Chief Minister N Biren Singh said he had apprised Union home minister Amit Shah concerning the ongoing bandh, strike…
• GUWAHATI: The Manipur government will send a team of MLAs to New Delhi to urge the Centre to take up…
• The demand gained traction as the United Naga Council (UNC) is on the same page.

GUWAHATI: The Manipur government will send a team of MLAs to New Delhi to urge the Centre to take up the problem of National Register of Citizens (NRC) implementation in the state.

The government unveiled in this regard on Tuesday, the first day of a two-day general strike called by the civil society and student-led movement ‘Campaign for Just and Free Delimitation,’ demanding the implementation of the NRC before Census and delimitation exercises in the state.

The demand gained traction as the United Naga Council (UNC) is on the same page. It reiterated that no Census and delimitation exercise should be conducted in the state before the NRC’s implementation. 

The UNC, which is Manipur’s apex Naga organisation, said this stand was clearly stated in the May 3, 2024 joint memorandum that it and the Meitei organisation Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity had submitted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

What happened

The Manipur government on Tuesday reiterated its stand, advocating for the implementation of the NRC in the state given worries over demographic changes and imbalance due to illegal migration.

Addressing a press conference, government spokesperson and MLA Dr Sapam Ranjan Singh stated the government remained serious concerning the issues concerning the NRC and Census and stood firmly with the residents of Manipur in addressing their concerns.

He recalled that the Assembly had passed a resolution on August 5, 2022, urging that NRC be taken up in the state. He said the problem remained a long-standing concern of the state government and that efforts had been continuously pursued through correspondence with the Ministry of Home Affairs.

According to Singh, a team of MLAs would visit New Delhi to seek guidance and urge the central administration to take up the NRC issue. As it concerns the future of the state and its residents, he stressed that the matter should be addressed collectively, irrespective of political party, community or other differences.

The details

Former Chief Minister N Biren Singh said he had apprised Union home minister Amit Shah concerning the ongoing bandh, strike and agitation in Manipur over the NRC demand. 

“I believe that the Home Minister will take some positive action,” he told media persons.