IMPHAL | Former Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Thursday reiterated that his government had formally pushed for a National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise in the state in 2019, saying the initiative required sustained political follow-up to reach its logical conclusion.

Singh said his position on the need for an NRC had been clear since he assumed office in March 2017. He claimed his government had recognised the need to address what it described as unchecked illegal immigration and had acted on longstanding demands raised by civil society organisations.

According to Singh, groups including the All Manipur Students’ Union (AMSU) and the All Manipur Students’ Coordinating Committee (AMSCOC) had been raising the issue since the 1980s.

“Despite these repeated demands over the years, no previous government had taken the matter forward to its logical conclusion,” Singh said in a post on X.

He said the state Cabinet subsequently passed a resolution seeking an NRC exercise in Manipur. Following the decision, Singh said he wrote to then Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on February 10, 2019, formally requesting the Centre to initiate the process in the state.

The former chief minister maintained that both the Cabinet resolution and his letter to the Centre were part of the official record. Singh stressed that an issue as significant as the NRC could not be advanced through isolated decisions and required sustained political will, continuous follow-up and coordinated efforts between the state and Centre.

His remarks come amid renewed political and public debate in Manipur over migration, citizenship and demographic concerns, particularly in the context of the ethnic conflict that has affected the state since May 2023. Singh also sought to underline that the demand for an NRC in Manipur predates the current crisis, pointing to civil society campaigns that have continued for decades.

The NRC issue has remained politically sensitive in the Northeast, with Assam having undertaken the country’s most prominent NRC exercise. The process in Assam was conducted under the supervision of the Supreme Court and culminated in the publication of a final list in 2019.

In Manipur, however, Singh’s latest remarks focus on the earlier state-level initiative and his government’s request to the Centre for a similar exercise.

The former chief minister said the records of the 2019 Cabinet decision and his communication to the Union Home Ministry demonstrated that his government had taken concrete steps on the matter. He argued that the effectiveness of such initiatives ultimately depends on consistent follow-up and the willingness of successive governments to carry them forward.