Manipur Assembly adopts resolution again, asking Centre to implement NRC

Imphal: The Manipur Assembly passed a unanimous resolution on Friday urging the Central government to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) to prevent illegal immigrants, particularly from Myanmar, from settling in the northeastern state, which shares a 398-kilometre unfenced border with the neighbouring country.

The resolution urged the Ministry of Home Affairs to implement the NRC in Manipur moved by Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, who also holds the Home portfolio.

The Chief Minister posted on 'X': "Today, the Manipur Legislative Assembly took a significant step by reaffirming our resolution passed on August 5, 2022. It is our firm belief that the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Manipur is crucial for safeguarding the interests of our state and contributing to the greater good of our nation.

"The decision to urge the Central government to expedite the implementation of the NRC reflects our commitment to ensuring the security and integrity of Manipur. I urge all citizens to support this endeavour as we strive to build a stronger, more prosperous Manipur for generations to come," he said, IANS reported.

After coming to power for the second consecutive time in the March 2022 assembly elections, the BJP-led government headed by Singh, unanimously passed a resolution in the state assembly on August 5, 2022, urging the Centre to implement the NRC in Manipur.

Many organisations, mostly belonging to the majority Meitei, including the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) in their separate memorandum and letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have been demanding the implementation of NRC in the state.

The demand further intensified after the ethnic violence broke out on May 3, last year.

The COCOMI, the apex body of the Meitei community, earlier on a number of occasions urged the Prime Minister and Home Minister not to divide Manipur and to introduce the NRC for the greater interest of the state and the country.

COCOMI coordinator Jeetendra Ningomba had claimed that the foreign elements, including some of the leaders of the Kuki-Zomi militant outfits with which Suspension of Operation (SoO) pacts were signed, are directly involved in the Manipur conflict and they should either be eliminated or pushed out of the territory of India.

"To identify illegal immigrants, the NRC must be implemented in the state with 1951 as the base year. This is to deprive illegal immigrants from being citizens though they may continue to stay as guests, if necessary, without indulging in destructive politics by creating concocted history bombarding the media and seeking support from the left liberals to achieve what is known as a Kuki-Zomi nation (Zalengam) comprising areas from three countries," the COCOMI memorandum to PM Modi had said.

In June 2022, the Manipur government approved 1961 as the base year for identifying 'natives' and properly implementing the Inner-Line Permit (ILP) to protect the indigenous people's demography, culture and tradition.

The ILP under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation of 1873 provides a temporary travel document to the residents of other Indian states who need to possess it to enter the state and to live in the state for a specific period.

The ILP had been in force in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram.

On December 11, 2019, it was promulgated in Manipur, to allow an Indian citizen into the ILP-enforced areas for a stipulated period with the written permission of the state and competent authority. However, the pro-NRC tribal organisations claimed that the ILP was not enough as Manipur could not come up with the definition of "indigenous inhabitants".

The NRC can effectively curb the infiltration and illegal stay of immigrants in Manipur, the organisations stated.