NEW DELHI: The Manipur Assembly on Wednesday adopted a resolution urging the Centre to update the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state before conducting the census exercise.This is the third such resolution adopted by the assembly since 2022.“The House once again reaffirms its previous resolution passed on August 5, 2022, and March 1, 2024, to urge the government of India to update the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Manipur before conducting the census in the interests of the state in particular and the nation in general,” speaker Th Satyabrata Singh said.
Centre had deferred census exercise
The resolution comes after the Centre deferred the census exercise in Manipur on Monday, a day before the house-listing exercise was scheduled to begin in the state.According to a statement issued by the chief minister’s secretariat, the decision was taken after Union home minister Amit Shah chaired a high-level meeting in New Delhi to review the situation in Manipur.“The meeting agreed to defer the proposed Census exercise in the state considering the feelings and aspirations of the people of Manipur,” the statement said.
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The demand for implementing and updating the NRC has stemmed from apprehensions among sections of the Meitei and Naga communities that a census without the exercise could result in “demographic changes” in the state due to the alleged entry of illegal immigrants from neighbouring Myanmar, who have ethnic ties with the Kuki people.
Shutdowns over demand for clear NRC roadmap
The Centre’s decision to defer the census did not end protests over the demand for a clear roadmap on updating the NRC.Manipur’s five valley districts witnessed a near-complete shutdown on Tuesday during a 24-hour general strike called by the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation.The organisation said the deferral of the census did not meet its main demand for a clear assurance that the NRC would be updated before any population enumeration.Meanwhile, a Kuki-Zo organisation questioned the Centre’s decision to defer the census exercise, alleging that the matter had been decided while ignoring the voice of the community.
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