Manipur Assembly adopts resolution to enforce NRC, establish Population Commission

The Assembly also adopted a resolution to urge the Centre to allot a separate code to Sanamahi religion in the Census

After Assam, Manipur may go for a National Register of Citizens (NRC) with a target to detect "foreigners" illegally living in the state.

The Manipur Assembly Saturday unanimously adopted two private member resolutions to establish a Population Commission and introduce and enforce the NRC in the state.

The House later also adopted another resolution to move the Centre with a request to allot a separate religion code to Sanamahi, an ethnic religion practised by many belonging to the Meitei community.

"This House unanimously resolves to establish the Population Commission of the State and also to introduce and enforce the National Register of Citizens," said the resolution adopted by the State Assembly on the last day of its budget session on Saturday.

The resolutions were moved by Kh. Joykishan, an MLA of Janta Dal(U), who is a partner in the BJP-led government in the state.

Clamour for NRC

The resolutions were adopted amid a growing clamour for an Assam-like NRC. At least seven student bodies and 19 tribal organisations moved Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July with a demand for NRC to detect nationals from neighbouring Myanmar, Bangladesh and Nepal illegally living in the state. They stated that the infiltration from Myanmar was a major concern given the fact that Manipur shares a 400-km border with the country. Many Chin-Kuki communities in Myanmar, who share an ethnic affinity with the Kukis living in Manipur are suspected to be "illegal migrants". Kukis live mostly in the hills district in Manipur.

Taking part in the discussion, JD(U) MLA Joykishan claimed that the hill areas of the state saw a population growth of 153.3 per cent between 1971 and 2001. The population growth, he said, further increased to 250.9 per cent between 2001 and 2011.

Over 19.06 lakh residents were left out of the "final list" of the NRC in Assam released in 2019, which was being updated to detect "foreigners". Post-1971 migrants from neighbouring Bangladesh were the main target of the NRC in Assam. The list, however, has been pushed to the backburner mainly due to the BJP government's refusal to accept it. The government seeks reverification of the NRC list saying many "ineligible" persons fraudulently made it to the list while genuine citizens were left out.

The Centre in December 2019 introduced the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system, under which people from outside the state need a travel permit. But local organisations claim that the same can not detect the foreigners, who have already settled in the state. There has also been a strong agitation for revival of the Sanamahi religion.