NRC in focus as keyboard warriors spar over nativity
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: June 07, 2022 -

IN the backdrop of the fierce debate on the social media platform among the keyboard warriors belonging to various communities over land ownership claims and nativity, the proposal by Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) and United Naga Council (UNC) for formulating a mechanism like National Register of Citizenship (NRC) to record details of the native people and set up State Population Commission cannot be swept under the carpet.

Taking into account of certain individuals and organisations trying to whip up sectarian sentiment and play the victim card rather than introspecting on who and for what reason the war of words on the social media has been triggered, the unanimity between UNC and COCOMI in raising the issue of influx of migrants, illegal immigrants and its impact on demographic imbalance and consequences in the state not only assumes greater significance but might be effective in prodding the conscience of those who do not subscribe to the idea of being a Manipuri.

As had been widely reported in the state's dailies, the joint memorandum submitted to the CM on Saturday urged the state government to initiate relevant process for maintaining NRC to methodically identify and push back illegal immigrants so as to check further illegal infiltration into the state and also stressed the need for having an efficient State Population Commission.

Such a proposal also underscores that the re-introduction of the inner line permit system has not been able to satiate civil societies, which had been at the forefront of demanding constitutional safeguards for the indigenes.

While briefing media persons about the joint memorandum submitted on Saturday, COCOMI coordinator L Ratankumar pointed out that Manipur has been witnessing influx of non-native people from outside the state for the last many decades and the problem is escalating year after year.

Without citing any specific incident, he also attributed many of the present socio-political unrests in the state to influx of migrants and illegal immigrants from the neighbouring state/ countries especially Myanmar, Bangladesh and Nepal.

Regardless of the suspicion that there has been cross-border infiltration, government authorities have been remaining eerily silent on the issue despite civil society organisations intensifying the demand for putting in place stringent measures to prevent possible demographic changes, and imminent adverse impact on the future security and well-being of the indigenes.

Thus, in view of the recent incidents threatening to create sodo-ethnic discord in the state, the government of Manipur can no longer play deaf and dumb to the evolving situation for every indigene would be eager to live in an environment of peace and cordiality.

Like it or not, it seems that there is some valid ground for COCOMI and UNC to assert in their joint memorandum that many unrecognised villages have been mushrooming in some specific hill districts of Manipur in the last few decades and that the state government has been doing nothing substantial to find the reason thereof.

As mentioned in the memorandum, the government cannot brush aside the apprehension that the prevailing social unrest and communal tensions arising out of demographic imbalance and land issues might lead to unwanted ethnic conflicts and violence in the state.