The Manipur government will continue to press the Centre for updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state before the Census, government spokesperson and MLA Sapam Ranjan Singh said during a media briefing at the DIPR auditorium in Imphal today.
Sapam Ranjan said the state government had been pursuing the NRC issue with the Centre through both Assembly resolutions and official correspondence, maintaining that the demand for NRC before the Census was a collective concern of the people and the state.
He said the government’s efforts had continued even before the violence erupted in Manipur, citing correspondence between the state government and the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. According to him, the Commissioner (Home), Government of Manipur, had written to the then Union Home Secretary on January 16, 2023, while a reply was received from the Deputy Registrar-General on February 6, 2023. Another communication was subsequently sent to the Union Home Secretary on June 12, 2024, by the Joint Secretary (Home), Government of Manipur.
“This is the continuous work that we have been putting on. We are also on the same boat as the people. For our people and our state, we all stand together that we should definitely have the NRC before the Census,” Sapam Ranjan said.
He said the state government would continue its efforts and put pressure on the Central leadership and the Union Government to take up the NRC issue before the Census.
Sapam Ranjan also confirmed that a team of MLAs was scheduled to travel to New Delhi to seek guidance from the Central leadership and press for the demand.
He said the issue should not be viewed as the responsibility of elected representatives alone, but as a collective responsibility involving the people and the state.
“I’m sure some positive direction will come about,” he said.
On the ongoing protests demanding NRC before the Census, Sapam Ranjan acknowledged the democratic right of citizens to protest and voice their grievances but appealed to protesters to maintain peace.
“It is the democratic right of all of us to protest and ventilate our grievances. I would like to request the protesters to take up the protest in a democratic way, without any violence and without disturbing the lives of people,” he said.
He particularly appealed for consideration of daily wage earners, students and others whose livelihoods and education could be affected by disruptions.
On why the Centre had not yet responded positively despite repeated resolutions and communications from the state government over the past several years, Sapam Ranjan said the NRC was a complex issue requiring discussion at multiple levels.
“NRC is such a thing which needs to be discussed at many levels also. We will keep on putting forward our position and keep on pursuing it. Maybe there are lots of things which need to be taken up before the NRC is taken up,” he said, while expressing hope for a favourable outcome.
Asked whether opposition MLAs would be included in the team travelling to New Delhi, Sapam Ranjan said the delegation had not yet included opposition members and that the proposed visit would initially comprise MLAs from the NDA side.
However, he stressed that the demand should ultimately be pursued collectively, cutting across political and other divisions.
“It has to be teamwork. It can be of any party. It cannot be this party or that party, this religion or that religion. It has to be collective work,” he said, expressing hope that the efforts would yield a positive result.