NEW DELHI/UKHRUL: A delegation comprising 14 CSOs Kangleipak and community leaders from Manipur on Tuesday pressed the Centre to defer the Census and halt any delimitation exercise until the identification of Indian citizens and updating of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) are completed.
Speaking at a press conference at the Indian Women Press Corps, New Delhi, 14 CSOs Kangleipak Convener Santa Nahakpam said the delegation had taken up the matter with the Prime Minister’s Office, the Union Home Ministry, the Registrar General of India and other authorities in New Delhi.
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He said the delegation’s central demand was that Indian citizens in Manipur must first be identified, with 1951 used as the base year, before the Census or delimitation process is carried forward.
The delegation argued that the demand for an NRC update was aimed at protecting the political rights and interests of what it described as original Indian citizens of Manipur. It cited Manipur’s historical entry and exit pass system, which was abolished in 1950, and the conduct of the first Census and NRC in 1951 as among the reasons for adopting 1951 as the base year.
Santa said the issue had gained urgency in view of changes in the number of villages and administrative units over the decades. The delegation maintained that the government should first establish a clear basis for identifying citizens before proceeding with exercises that could have political and electoral implications.
The group also pointed to Manipur’s porous border with Myanmar and urged both the Government of India and the Government of Manipur to facilitate the updating of the NRC before carrying out the Census or delimitation.
Calling for wider consultation, the delegation sought a tripartite dialogue involving different stakeholders to discuss the NRC exercise, acknowledging the presence of indigenous, native and other communities in Manipur.
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The press meet was attended by Santa Nahakpam, Convener of 14 CSOs Kangleipak; Leishangthem Yaiphaba Meitei, Joint Secretary of ACOAM Lup, Kangleipak; Leirikyengbam Bedic, General Secretary of Ireicha Kanba Lup; Dr Heera Kabui, President of Kabui Union Manipur; Serto Chungjahaon Kom, President of Kom Union, Manipur; Seikh Muhammad Jalaluddin, President of the All Manipur Muslim Organisations Coordinating Committee; Gaikhiam Thaimei, Vice President of the Rongmei Naga Youth Organisation, Manipur; and Sagolsem Kulla, Convener of Manipur Ima, representing internally displaced persons in Manipur.
Reiterating the delegation’s position, Santa said the demand was clear, update the NRC first, identify Indian citizens and only then proceed with the Census and delimitation exercise in Manipur.
