Ibobi questions census works before resettlement
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 19 2026: Former Chief Minister and Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Okram Ibobi has questioned how house listing and population enumeration could be carried out when not less than 60,000 people remain displaced and thousands of houses completely razed.

Speaking to media persons at Congress Bhavan, BT Road here this morning, Ibobi said that thousands of houses belonging to IDPs have been destroyed in the violence which erupted on May 3, 2023 .

The Government of India and particularly the State Government ought to know that it is not feasible to carry out census operations including house listing works under the present situation when tens of thousands of people have been rendered homeless, he said.

Ibobi questions census works before resettlement

Pointing out that communities cannot move from one district to another till date, the former Chief Minister questioned how census operations including house listing work could be carried under the prevailing situation.

Soon after the Government of India published a gazette notification for conducting census operations, the State Government should have told the Centre in advance that the situation in Manipur is not feasible for conducting census operations, Ibobi said.

The State Government should have sought deferment of census operations in Manipur.

The State Government should have told the Centre that census operations could be conducted only after free movement of communities across districts is restored, destroyed houses are reconstructed and all IDPs are resettled, he said.

The State Government did not need any advice from the Opposition party or any one to make this point to the Centre, the MPCC president said.

But the State Government failed to make this point and today the situation has gone out of control, he remarked.

It is surprising that some BJP MLAs are going to Delhi only today to take up the matter with Central leaders after several CSOs pointed out repeatedly that it would not be right to conduct census operations under the existing situation and any delimitation based on such census data would not be fair.

"I'm not saying the MLAs' visit to Delhi is bad but it is hard to comprehend", Ibobi said.

"It is good that they are going to take up the issue with Central leaders when they can no longer sit silently at their homes.

We will support this step of the Government", he added.

When there was a Congress Government in the State and when the State was facing critical issues, all party delegations went to the Centre, talked with the Prime Minister or the Union Home Minister and resolved many of those issues, the former Chief Minister said.

"If the BJP Government thinks that the Congress party which has just five MLAs at present is immaterial and they will solve the issues by themselves, we have nothing so say", Ibobi said.

The issue of illegal immigrants may be there in other States of the North East but it has become quite sensitive and deeply concerning in Manipur following the May 3, 2023 violence, he said.

The demand to defer census operations in Manipur until there is complete normalcy in the State is quite reasonable.

As such, the Government of India will be sensitive enough to listen and respond positively to the demand, Ibobi said.

He added that the Congress party is always ready to extend any form of support to persuade the Centre on the issue, if necessary.