CM's comment on NRC misleading: MPCC
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, April 27 2026: The Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has categorically stated that Chief Minister Y Khemchand's statement on NRC and census was misleading.

Speaking to media persons at Congress Bhavan, BT Road here today, MPCC vice-president Hareshwor Goswami asserted that census is not a prerequisite for NRC .

He pointed out that the NRC should be updated under the Citizenship Act 1955 and the Citizenship Rules, 2003 while census should be done under the Census Act 1948.NRC and census are two different matters.

In census operations, enumerators will collect data and people may not produce any document but updating the NRC should be done based on the National Population Register, Hareshwor Goswami said.

He asserted that updating the NRC first before conducting census exercise is more appropriate considering the presence of a huge population of illegal immigrants in the State.

Even if the census exercise must be conducted urgently, it will be almost impossible to carry out census operations properly given the fact that movement of communities is highly restricted at the moment and there is widespread public unrest, the MPCC vice-president said.

It was under the Assam Accord 1985 and a ruling of the Supreme Court passed in 2013 that the NRC was updated with respect to Assam.

It was based on the 1971 census data, not on the latest census data.

During the process, residents of Assam were asked to prove that they were Assam citizens before March 24, 1971, he said.

For Manipur, the census data of 1951 and the electoral roll of the first election (Territorial Council or State Assembly) or descendents of people listed in these two documents may be used as proof of being Manipuri citizens.

This is not a rigid position of the Congress party and the Government should listen to the opinions of the public, the MPCC vice-president said.

If the NRC is updated with respect to Manipur based on the data of last census data or the new one for which due process is underway, all the illegal immigrants from Myanmar will be taken as Manipuri citizens, he said.

Saying that BJP leaders have been making contradictory statements, Hareshwor Goswami remarked that Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated on the floor of the Rajya Sabha in November 2019 that the NRC would be updated throughout the country.

But in December same year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that there will be no Nationwide NRC and the matter had not been even discussed, he recalled.

Replying to a query raised by Congress MLA K Ranjit in the State Assembly, ex-Chief Minister N Biren stated that the State Government had written to the Centre to update the NRC with respect to Manipur.

Updating the NRC was among the resolutions adopted at the Kangla meeting held in January 2024 where most legislators of the State were present, he said.

However, when the particular resolution was raised in the State Assembly, the ruling party declined to discuss the matter.

Subsequently, the five Congress MLAs walked out of the House, he added.

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