Imphal: Former Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Tuesday said he met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi and apprised him of the people’s demand to conduct the National Register of Citizens (NRC) before carrying out census activities in the state.

Singh, who returned to Imphal after a three-day visit to New Delhi, said he met Shah at around 5.45 am on Monday after receiving an appointment. “Considering the prevailing situation in the state, I went to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah,” Singh told reporters.

During the meeting, Singh raised issues related to the ongoing economic blockades and counter-blockades in the state. He said these disruptions had led to a sharp rise in the prices of essential commodities and affected supplies. According to Singh, Shah assured him that the issues would be addressed soon and efforts would be made to find a solution.

Singh also informed Shah about the demand for conducting the NRC, which was taken up by his government in February 2023, before the outbreak of the current conflict in Manipur. He said the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Registrar General had earlier informed the state government that the proposal was under consideration.

“People are not against the census. They are demanding that the NRC be conducted first and the census later,” Singh said. He further said people were apprehensive about the presence of alleged illegal immigrants in the state, which, according to him, had contributed to demographic imbalance.

Singh claimed that government records show the existence of 926 unauthorised villages in the state.“Shah gave a patient hearing to our concerns. I genuinely believe and feel that there will be a positive response to the demands raised by the people,” he said.

The former chief minister also appealed to people not to resort to bandhs or violence out of frustration and urged them to pursue their demands peacefully.