The meeting also decided to constitute a sub-committee comprising representatives of political parties and civil society organisations
KRC TIMES Manipur Bureau
IMPHAL | BJP national president Nitin Nabin has assured Manipur leaders that concerns over illegal immigration and its alleged demographic impact on the state will be taken up at the national level, Manipur Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam said on Tuesday.
The assurance came during a meeting in New Delhi between Nabin, Konthoujam and BJP MLA Sapam Kunjakeswor Singh. According to Konthoujam, the discussions focused on illegal migration and its implications for Manipur’s demographic profile.
Konthoujam said Nabin had acknowledged the seriousness of the issue and assured the delegation that it would be pursued at the national level for an “appropriate and early solution”. The minister linked the discussions to recent remarks by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on illegal infiltration, and said protecting Manipur’s demographic character was essential for the state’s future.
The issue also figured prominently at an all-party meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh in Imphal on Monday evening, where updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) was among the key issues discussed. Representatives of the BJP, Congress, CPI, CPI(M), RPI and Forward Bloc, besides 14 civil society organisations, attended the meeting, which lasted about two-and-a-half hours.
Khemchand Singh later said political parties had discussed “various issues including updation of NRC in the state in the interest of the people”. Nahakpam Santa, convenor of the 14 civil society organisations under Kangleipak, said participants agreed to press the government to issue a Gazette notification for updating the NRC in Manipur.
The meeting also decided to constitute a sub-committee comprising representatives of political parties and civil society organisations. The panel is expected to seek an appointment with Shah during his proposed visit to Manipur next month and urge the Centre to take up the NRC updation process in the state.
The renewed push for an NRC comes amid a wider political debate in Manipur over undocumented migration, demographic change and the identification of indigenous residents.
