No citizenship to illegal immigrants, asserts MMTU
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 12 2025: The Meetei (Meitei) Tribe Union has firmly stated that no illegal immigrants should be included in the census nor should they be granted citizenship.

The Union, in a statement issued by its organizational secretary Takhellambam Parijat Singh, endorsed Rajya Sabha MP Leishemba Sanajaoba's stance that census and delimitation should proceed only after identifying illegal immigrants settling in the State.

Notably, Sanajaoba had stated in Parliament that illegal immigrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh must be identified and deported, with 1961 as the base year, before proceeding with the census and delimitation exercise.

Welcoming the MP's stance, the MMTU urged political parties, leaders, and the public to unite against the growing threats posed by illegal immigrants to the indigenous population and cautioned that the indigenous people of Manipur may disappear if the issue of illegal immigrants is not addressed.

It also pointed out that there are no Constitutional provisions to safeguard the Meitei community till today even though Manipur merged with India in 1949.Stating that different organisations have been urging the Government of India to enlist Meitei in the Scheduled Tribe list of the Constitution to protect their culture and identity, the Union thanked all who support the call for granting ST status to Meitei.

Further stating that Leishemba Sanajaoba has pointed out the inaccuracies in 2001 and 2011 Census reports during the ongoing Parliament session, the Union reiterated that no illegal immigrants should be included in the census nor should they be granted citizenship.

MMTU added that carrying out delimitation and census without identifying the illegal immigrants settling in Manipur would be unacceptable.

Despite the MHA's May 19, 2025, directive to State and Union Territories to identify and deport illegal immigrants within 30 days, the State Government has not taken any visible steps to address the issue in the State, where around a lakh of illegal immigrants are allegedly settled and some have even been wrongly added to the ST list, the Union said.

The Union also called upon civil society organizations, political parties, and the public to support the campaign being carried out by MMTU, Arambai Tenggol, Village Volunteer Force, and Universal Friendship Organisation, which demands the identification and deportation of illegal immigrants before the census and the granting of ST status to Meitei.

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