GUWAHATI: The Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) in Manipur on Sunday dismissed as "premature and unjustified" the demand by Meitei and Naga groups that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) be implemented in the state before Census and delimitation exercises.
The KZC, an influential organisation representing the Kuki-Zo community, welcomed the Census exercise initiated by the central government, saying that given the “falsehoods and propaganda” surrounding Kuki population and demographic status that were spread during the Manipur conflict, an impartial Census was essential to establish facts and dispel unfounded claims.
The KZC also welcomed delimitation to ensure fair representation based on verified demographic data.
“Regarding the NRC, the KZC reiterates that it is a national exercise and there is no provision for any community or state government to unilaterally initiate or conduct a separate NRC in a particular state at its own discretion,” the organisation said.
Accordingly, it added, there is no legitimate basis for any Manipur-based group or the state government to dictate the timing or implementation of the NRC exercise.
The KZC said the demand for the implementation of the NRC before the Census exercise appeared to be based largely on unsubstantiated allegations and speculation concerning the Kuki-Zo community.
“Such claims should be assessed against credible demographic data. Since the Census is the appropriate source for such data, demanding NRC before the completion and publication of the Census 2027 results is premature and unjustified,” the KZC said.
It pointed out that the Assam NRC, which excluded over 19 lakh people from the complete draft, could not be brought to finality amid ongoing legal challenges and pending appeals before the Foreigners Tribunals. Those demanding a similar exercise in Manipur should first consider its complexity, implications, and consequences, the KZC said.
It called upon all concerned to allow the Census to proceed without obstruction and refrain from using demographic issues as instruments of communal propaganda or victimisation.
Last week, the Meitei civil society and student-led movement ‘Campaign for Just and Free Delimitation’ called for a 48-hour general strike in the five Imphal valley districts demanding the NRC’s implementation before Census and delimitation exercises. The state’s apex Naga organisation United Naga Council also reiterated the NRC demand.
As the demand intensified, the state government cleared its position, advocating for the NRC’s implementation considering concerns over demographic changes and imbalance due to illegal migration in the state.