The Kuki-Zo Council (KZC), a Kuki-Zo apex body in Manipur, has opposed demands by some Meitei and Naga groups for implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) before the Census, calling the demand “premature and unjustified”.
It maintained that the Census was the appropriate source for demographic data and said demanding an NRC before the completion and publication of Census 2027 results was premature. He also assured them that the government will move to discuss the implementation of the NRC in Manipur in the ensuing state Assembly session beginning September 2.
“Given the falsehoods and propaganda surrounding our population and demographic status during the Manipur conflict, an impartial Census is essential to establish facts and dispel unfounded claims,” the statement signed by its secretary, Information and Publicity, Ginza Vualzong, said. Regarding the demand, it said, “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. Accordingly, there is no legitimate basis for any Manipur-based group or the state government to dictate the timing or implementation of the national NRC exercise, the Kuki-Zo body said. “Those demanding a similar exercise in Manipur should first consider its complexity, implications, and consequences,” the council said. The Kuki-Zo body appealed to all concerned to allow the Census to proceed without obstruction, respect the authority of the central government over the NRC and refrain from using demographic issues as instruments of “communal propaganda or victimisation”. On August 20, chief minister Yumnam Khemchand also assured a delegation of student representatives that the government supports “effort free” implementation of the NRC in the state.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the KZC said the NRC was a national exercise under the authority of the central government and that there was no basis for any Manipur-based group or the state government to dictate its timing or implementation.
