The Manipur government has urged the JFD to withdraw its agitation over the demand to update the NRC using 1951 as the base year before the Census, appealing for peace and normalcy.
IMPHAL — The Manipur government on Sunday appealed to the Campaign for Justice and Fair Delimitation (JFD) to withdraw its ongoing agitation, urging all concerned not to add to the sufferings and inconvenience of the people.
Government spokespersons and MLAs Th Radheshyam and Dr. S Ranjan Singh made the appeal during a press briefing in Imphal.
The JFD, demanding that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Manipur be updated using 1951 as the base year before the Census exercise, had announced a state-wide shutdown of central and state government offices from September 11.
The agitation has severely affected the functioning of government offices, particularly in Imphal.
Radheshyam said the state government was fully aware of the JFD’s demand and that the people of Manipur also wanted the NRC to be conducted before the Census.
He said the eighth session of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly had reaffirmed its earlier resolution to conduct the NRC before the Census.
Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh had also conveyed the same to the Central government, he added.
According to Radheshyam, the Assembly discussed the base year of 1951 for the NRC on the last day of its recently concluded session, and the matter had already been conveyed to the Union Home Ministry.
He further stated that following the campaign by Manipur MLAs in New Delhi, the Chief Minister had also conveyed the people’s demand to central leaders. Consequently, the Union Home Ministry had postponed the Census process, he claimed.
Against this backdrop, Radheshyam said the JFD had intensified its agitation by calling for the closure of government offices. Such actions could lead to undesirable incidents and adversely affect the functioning of the state government, he added.
He appealed to the JFD not to intensify the agitation or continue such activities for a prolonged period, warning that a prolonged agitation could cause greater inconvenience to the people.
Radheshyam also appealed to all sections of the public to “give peace a chance in Manipur” and support the government’s efforts to restore peace and normalcy in the state.
The spokespersons further said Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam, along with some other MLAs, had been camping in New Delhi for the past few days to pressurise the Centre regarding the conduct of the NRC using 1951 as the base year.
They expressed hope that the Centre would act in accordance with the wishes of the people of Manipur.