NRC must be updated, says Cong
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, May 07 2026: The Congress party has asserted that the party stands firmly in favour of updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) with respect to Manipur.

Speaking to media persons at congress Bhavan, BT Road here today, MPCC general secretary Seram Neken said that Congress MLAs and Lok Sabha Member Dr Bimol Akoijam have been pressing for updating the NRC in the State Assembly and the Parliament.

Clarifying to the reaction made by some CSOs on the statements by Dr Bimol Akoijam at a discourse organised by All Manipur Bar Association (AMBA) on May 2, Neken said Dr Bimol did not say anything concrete on whether NRC was done as a part of the 1951 census exercise in Manipur or not.

Dr Bimol only asked what shall be done to implement NRC in Manipur, Neken said.

Dr Bimol gave his personal opinion on what shall be done if the necessary documents for updating the NRC based on the NRC data of 1951 are not available.

The Lok Sabha member suggested that the NRC can be updated based on the electoral rolls of either 1952 or 1957 in case documents of compiling or updating NRC in 1951 are not available.

The MP also made it clear that the Government of India will never agree to updating the NRC based on the electoral roll of 1948 as it would amount to accepting the pre-merger status of Manipur, Neken said.

Dr Bimol also stated that carrying out census exercise at present will grant undue economic and political rights to illegal immigrants who have already settled inside Manipur.

At the end of the discourse on 'Sensitization on NRC', Dr Bimol said that what he laid down there might not be absolute truths or final, and he invited all intellectuals to share knowledge on the matter, Neken said.

The MPCC general secretary asserted that there was nothing in the whole speech of Dr Bimol Akoijam which would be interpreted wrongly.

He also appealed to all organisations not to see the speech of the Lok Sabha Member in the wrong light even if they had misconceptions earlier.

Saying that updating the NRC is the common desire of the people, CSOs and many political parties including Congress, the MPCC general secretary appealed to one and all to work collectively in order to see that the NRC is updated in Manipur.

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