'NRC issue apprised to Amit Shah'
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, August 18 2026:
After apprising Union Home Minister Amit Shah of the people's collective demand to first update the National Register of Citizens (NRC) with respect to the State of Manipur before conducting any census exercise, ex-Chief Minister N Biren has exuded confidence that there will be a positive response from the Centre.
Biren talked with Amit Shah at the latter's residence at New Delhi on Monday and came back to Imphal this morning.
Briefing media persons at Imphal Airport, N Biren said that he met with Amit Shah at 5.45 pm on August 17 and talked on several burning issues of the State.
He said that he talked at length with the Union Home Minister on the people's demand for updating the NRC before commencing the census exercise.
Before the Manipur violence erupted on May 3, 2023, the State Cabinet adopted a resolution in February 2023 to update the NRC .
The Manipur Legislative Assembly too adopted a similar resolution, and the resolutions were sent to the Centre, Biren said.
After some time, the State Government received a reply from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Registrar General of India.
The MHA and the RGI said that they had considered the resolutions adopted by the Manipur Cabinet and the Manipur Legislative Assembly on updating the NRC with respect to Manipur.
There was no plan to update the NRC for the whole country; nonetheless the Centre had taken serious note of the resolutions adopted by the Manipur Cabinet and the Manipur Legislative Assembly, said the reply from the MHA and RGI, according to the ex-Chief Minister.
The Union Home Minister was reminded of the reply from MHA and RGI during the meeting yesterday and the issue of updating the NRC was discussed at length, Biren.
"I also submitted a representation to the Union Minister", he added.
The talk held yesterday also made a reference to another resolution adopted by the Manipur Legislative Assembly in 2024 on updating the NRC, he said.
Biren reportedly told Amit Shah that the people of Manipur are not opposed to census operations per se but they are only demanding identification of illegal immigrants by way of updating the NRC before any census exercise is initiated.
If the NRC is not updated before the census exercise, there is a strong possibility of illegal immigrants being taken into the count and this will create irreversible demographic imbalance in the State.
With a large number of illegal immigrants already settled in different parts of the State, the Union Home Minister was apprised of the necessity of updating the NRC before commencing the census exercise, Biren said.
So far, as many as 926 unrecognised villages have been detected in different hill areas of the State and this information was shared with the Union Home Minister, he said.
Amit Shah was also informed of the 48 hours general strike called by the indigenous people in pursuit of their collective demand for updating the NRC ahead of census operations, Biren said.
The Union Home Minister was apprised of the injuries suffered by students in the course of protest agitation in pursuit of the same demand.
N Biren highlighted the protracted blockade and counter blockades imposed on National Highways and their crippling impacts on the State's economy.
Scarcity of essential commodities and other goods, and abnormal spike in prices resulting from the prolonged blockades and counter blockades were also highlighted during the talks with the Union Home Minister, he said.
Biren said that Amit Shah listened to all the issues he raised patiently and attentively, and exuded confidence that Amit Shah will give a positive response to the indigenous people's desire for updating the NRC before the census.
The Union Home Minister assured that necessary measures will be initiated to resolve all the issues currently plaguing the State at the earliest, Biren added.
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