Joykr shares thoughts on NRC
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 21 2026: Former Deputy Chief Minister Y Joykumar has stated that the Government of India may update the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Manipur ahead of the census exercise, as demanded by various organisations to benefit the BJP in the ensuing Assembly elections.

He made the statement during a sit-in protest organised by the People's Democratic Alliance (PDA) at Naoremthong today.

The protest demonstration was held under the banner, "No NRC, No Census; No Normalcy, No Census; NRC Updation Before Census; No IDPs Settlement, No Census" .

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the protest, Joykumar, who is also the PDA president, said that every crucial exercise, be it the NRC or census, must be conducted in a fair and transparent manner.

Stating that the PDA supports the demand for updating the NRC ahead of the census exercise, as well as the visit of ruling MLAs to New Delhi to press for the demand, he expressed confidence that the Centre would update the NRC before the population count so the BJP could use the move in an election campaign for the upcoming Assembly polls.

The NRC is akin to a mini-census, but whether its update can address the chronic issues plaguing Manipur requires careful consideration, he said.

Claiming that the Government may fix 1961 as the base year for the rollout of the NRC in the State, Joykumar questioned how transparent the exercise could be if it is conducted amid the prevailing situation, particularly with the establishment of "buffer zones" .

He also questioned how a fair and transparent NRC exercise could be carried out when people are unable to move freely across the State.

Joykumar also questioned whether Meitei, Naga, Nepali or Muslim officials would be able to enter Kuki-inhabited areas to conduct the NRC exercise, and whether Kuki officials would similarly be able to carry out the exercise in Meitei or Naga villages.

Census is a compulsory exercise, and what the people of Manipur are demanding is that the NRC be implemented first, he said, questioning how credible the census results could be if the exercise is conducted when communities are unable to move into one another's area.

He questioned how reliable the census results could be even if the exercise is conducted after the NRC, given that people are still unable to move freely across the State.

Saying that any crucial exercise must be conducted in a fair and transparent manner, he added that it would be best to conduct the NRC and census only after normalcy is restored in the State.

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