NPP MLA Rameshwar Singh calls for NRC updation before Census in Manipur

National People’s Party (NPP) MLA Mayanglambam Rameshwar Singh has called for the updation and implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Manipur before the next Census, citing concerns over the alleged presence of illegal immigrants and what he described as an “unnatural” increase in villages and electorates in Kuki-Zo-dominated areas.

Rameshwar made the statement at a press conference at his official quarter on Tuesday after returning from Delhi, where he said he had submitted representations on the issue to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Security Adviser (North East) Ajit Lal, and officials of the Registrar General of India and the Census Commissioner of India.

“I, as an indigenous person and leader of NPP, would like to clearly express my stand that NRC should be implemented before the Census,” Rameshwar said, arguing that conducting the statutory Census under the present circumstances in Manipur would be inappropriate.

The MLA referred to the increase in the number of villages and electorates in Kuki-Zo-dominated areas, claiming that the growth has been significantly higher than in Naga- and Meitei-dominated areas. He said documents, facts and figures supporting his allegations regarding the presence of illegal immigrants in the state had been submitted to central leaders during his Delhi visit.

Rameshwar also cited data obtained through the Panchayati Raj system to claim that the number of villages in Kuki-Zo areas increased substantially between 1969 and 2023. He further claimed that electorates in some constituencies in Kuki-Zo-dominated areas increased by around 75 per cent between 2012 and 2022.

He questioned the pace of voter growth, arguing that the increase warranted scrutiny because Indian citizens become eligible for enrolment as voters only after attaining the age of 18.

“Large growth of electorates would challenge the democratic method of administering a state or a country,” he said, warning that any erosion of the electoral rights of indigenous people could have serious consequences.

The NPP MLA also attributed what he described as an increase in illegal immigration to the practice of Kuki kinship law in Kuki-dominated areas and called for the system to be abolished. He referred to the historical abolition of a similar system in Mizoram when the region was part of Assam's Lushai Hills district.

Rameshwar maintained that the alleged presence of illegal immigrants in Manipur needed to be identified and addressed before the Census to prevent what he termed injustice to the state's indigenous population. He said an NRC exercise was necessary to establish a credible basis for future delimitation and electoral representation.

He also argued that the Census could be postponed in Manipur in view of the ongoing conflict, displacement and the presence of vulnerable areas.

Referring to the Census Act, 1948, Rameshwar said Section 3 does not explicitly state that the Census cannot be postponed and pointed to previous instances where the exercise was deferred. He cited the postponement of the Census during the COVID-19 pandemic and delays in Assam, Nagaland and Jammu and Kashmir due to prevailing circumstances.

He said Manipur's current security situation, large-scale displacement and vulnerable areas made the state unsuitable for conducting the Census at present and urged the Centre to consider completing an NRC exercise before undertaking the population enumeration.