Growing concerns over alleged demographic changes in Manipur have prompted women vendors of Khwairamband Ima Market to demand concrete action on the long-pending proposal to update the National Register of Citizens (NRC), with 1951 as the base year.
At a press meet held at Ima Market today, the vendors said the NRC issue should be pursued with “sincerity and honesty” and not be turned into a political instrument for electoral gains.
Speaking on the issue, Asem Nirmala said the indigenous population of the State was gradually declining amid concerns over the alleged influx of illegal immigrants and the emergence of unauthorised villages.
She said updating the NRC with 1951 as the base year was essential to safeguard the interests of the indigenous population, but alleged that successive political leaders had failed to demonstrate the political will needed to take the demand forward.
Nirmala pointed out that the Manipur Legislative Assembly had twice adopted resolutions urging the Centre to update the NRC before the Census, but alleged that no concrete action had followed.
She said the demand was again reaffirmed through the latest Assembly resolution during the recent session, but maintained that the issue had not been discussed in sufficient detail to determine how the resolution would actually be implemented.
“We do not want just another resolution. We want to know from the government how and when it will be implemented,” she said.
Nirmala questioned the positions of major political parties on the NRC, alleging that Congress leaders at the Centre had opposed the exercise while the BJP had used the issue as a political tool during elections, including through assurances made by its leaders in West Bengal.
Nirmala also called for the effective functioning of the Manipur State Population Commission, constituted in 2022, saying its role has assumed greater importance in view of the demographic concerns confronting the State.
“The time has come to discuss in detail what steps need to be taken to translate the resolution into action,” she said.