Manipur Congress demands BJP to reannounce implementation of NRC in state

Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has called upon Union Home Minister Amit Shah to reaffirm his commitment to the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) during his upcoming visit to Manipur on April 14. Accusing the BJP government of exploiting the visit for political mileage, the MPCC urged Shah to reannounce his previous statements regarding the NRC.

Speaking at a press conference held at Congress Bhavan today, Kh Debabrata, the working president of MPCC, lambasted the BJP for allegedly peddling falsehoods and misinterpreting Congress's stance on the NRC issue. Debabrata clarified that while the Congress party supported the Citizenship Amendment Act of 2003, it offered suggestions regarding the humanitarian aspects of the NRC, which were misinterpreted by the BJP for political gain.

Recalling Shah's announcement in 2019 regarding the nationwide implementation of the NRC, Debabrata highlighted the contradiction in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's subsequent statement, wherein he denied any discussions on the NRC since his government came into power. This inconsistency, according to Debabrata, underscores the BJP's political opportunism and lack of sincerity on the issue.

Debabrata further criticized Shah's planned visit to Manipur, noting that it comes more than 300 days after the Home Minister promised to return with a solution to the state's crisis during his last visit in June of the previous year. Expressing skepticism about the Home Minister's ability to deliver long-term solutions, Debabrata lamented the lack of progress since Shah's previous visit.

The MPCC also denounced Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent assertion regarding the improvement of Manipur's situation through timely interventions by the state and central governments. Debabrata demanded transparency from the government, urging them to make public any documents supporting Modi's claims about the state's progress.