The professed commitment to the NRC before the Census by the BJP government is turning out to be a mere political slogan as the government machinery is gearing up for Census 2027.
Whereas Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh and BJP legislators have been vocal in endorsing the demand for NRC before the Census, five BJP MLAs are said to have left for New Delhi to brief Union Home Minister Amit Shah about the demand. The five BJP MLAs leave for New Delhi today at 1:55 pm with assurance to urge the Centre to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state before conducting the Census.
The delegation include BJP Manipur Pradesh General Secretary and NRC and Census Committee Convenor K. Sarathkumar, MLA Raghumani, MLA Kh. Ibomcha, MLA P. Brojen and MLA T. Robindro.
The team is expected to meet central leaders in New Delhi and reiterate the demand for completing the NRC exercise before the Census in Manipur.
But on the ground level, the government machinery is making arrangements as if there was no such demand.
In a government order dated August 17, 2026, issued by the Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Imphal West, the training schedule of Enumerators and Supervisors for Phase-I of Census 2027 (HLO) has been finalized in multiple batches from August 20 to August 29 at DC Office Complex, Lamphalpat, till 6 PM.
What this government is doing makes one wonder about its commitment to its claim. If the BJP government and the BJP MLAs are really convinced of the need of conducting NRC before the Census, how come the government machinery is working to arrange the training for the very exercise?
Is the demand for NRC just another form of political performance meant to please the angry masses or is the government sincere about its demand?
The contradiction between the demands of BJP legislators and the actions of the government machinery is not difficult to comprehend. While the BJP legislators go to Delhi to inform the Union Home Minister that the people of Manipur demand an NRC before the Census, the government in Manipur gears up the administrative machinery for the Census. The left hand wants to stop the Census while the right hand is busy preparing those who would conduct the exercise.
The situation gets even more ironical when one examines the administrative order of the government. There is no indication in the Imphal West order that the preparation of the Census has been postponed because of the demand for NRC. Instead, the schedule proceeds as if nothing happened.
It is not just a question of political slogans but a matter of serious concern as census and delimitation are extremely sensitive issues in Manipur in view of the changing demographic structure and the demand for citizenship verification. If the Chief Minister and BJP MLAs accept the argument that the NRC needs to be conducted before the Census, the government should show its commitment through the administrative order.
How do the citizens know about the exact stance of BJP MLAs? What exactly are the BJP MLAs going to brief the Home Minister while their government is arranging the Census machinery back home?
If they are demanding the deferral of the Census, they should first demand their own government to postpone its arrangements for the Census. If the government wants to conduct the Census, then the Chief Minister and the BJP legislators should explain to the citizens the reason behind their acceptance of the contrary argument.
The question of citizenship, demography and electoral representation is far too important an issue to leave any room for the politics of double standards. Public sentiment expressed in Delhi and ignored in Imphal is unacceptable.
It is high time now that the BJP leadership clarifies whether the Census will take place as per schedule or it will be postponed in view of the demand for NRC.
Until the situation is clarified, the spectacle of BJP leaders’ demand for NRC and government’s arrangements for Census will remain the same—an example of political double standard.
