A delegation comprising 14 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and community leaders returned to Imphal today after a week-long visit to New Delhi, where they sought deferment of the Census exercise in Manipur and pressed for identification of Indian citizens with 1951 as the base year.
Speaking to reporters at Imphal International Airport, 14 CSOs Kangleipak convenor Santa Nahakpam said the delegation had held a series of meetings with Union ministers, political leaders and Central Government officials during its stay in New Delhi.
The delegation had left Imphal on August 20 after urging the State Government to facilitate meetings with Union ministers and other leaders who could take up their demands at the Centre, he said.
Santa said several MLAs, including members of the ruling party, along with former Chief Minister N Biren Singh and Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, were also in New Delhi and helped facilitate some of the meetings.
The delegation met Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, BJP national president Nitin Nabin and officials dealing with security and intelligence matters, he said.
According to Santa, the delegation primarily sought deferment of the Census until a mechanism is established to identify Indian citizens, with 1951 proposed as the reference year. It also sought clarity on whether an NRC would be implemented in Manipur or whether an alternative legal mechanism would be adopted to identify illegal immigrants.
Santa said the delegation was hopeful that the Census exercise in Manipur would be deferred within the next few days, although no formal assurance had been given.
“For the time being, we have a very strong feeling that in the next two or three days, the Census will be deferred for Manipur. We cannot say that we have received an assurance, but as far as the discussions are concerned, we strongly feel that the Census will be deferred,” he said.
He said the delegation had proposed that, once the Census was deferred, the Centre and the State Government should convene a consultation involving all stakeholders and representatives of different communities.
The proposed consultation, he said, should deliberate on the appropriate base year, objections and legal procedures for the detection, deletion and deportation of foreign nationals.
Santa also said the delegation discussed the Free Movement Regime, migration and the legal powers available to the State Government to identify foreigners.
Maintaining that 1951 should be the reference year, the delegation called for measures to identify and remove foreign nationals who allegedly entered Manipur after the proposed cut-off year.
Santa said the meetings with Central leaders indicated that the concerns and aspirations of the people of Manipur would be taken into consideration.
He said the immediate expectation was deferment of the Census, followed by a comprehensive consultation among the Centre, State Government and stakeholders on the identification process and related legal issues.