JFD has urged the Manipur government to press the Centre for an NRC update using 1951 as the base year and clarify the Census deferment.
Imphal, Sept 5: The Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD) has asked the Manipur government to take immediate steps to ensure that the proposed update of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state uses 1951 as the base year before the Census is conducted.
In a press conference on September 5, JFD and its task force welcomed the resolution adopted by the Manipur Legislative Assembly during the ongoing eighth session of the 12th Assembly to update the NRC before conducting the Census. The organisation, however, placed a series of demands before the government on how the resolution should be implemented.
JFD convenor Jeetendra Ningomba stated that the demand for 1951 as the base year must be incorporated into the Assembly's position on the NRC. The organisation also called for a delegation led by the Chief Minister and the State Home Minister to approach the Government of India within September 2026 and formally urge it to update the NRC in Manipur using 1951 as the cut-off base year.
The organisation further demanded that the state government set a definite timeframe for the NRC exercise and publish a comprehensive white paper detailing the proposed process for updating the NRC based on 1951. It also called for the reconstitution of the State Population Commission so that it can function effectively for the purpose.
JFD also called for the urgent drafting of a State Population Policy, which it stated would be necessary to address what it described as the existing demographic imbalance in the state on a permanent basis.
On the Census, JFD questioned the absence of an official Gazette notification from the central government regarding its reported deferment. The organisation demanded that such a notification be issued during the ongoing Assembly session to remove what it described as public confusion over the status of the Census.
As part of its mobilisation programme, JFD appealed to the public to raise three slogans simultaneously on September 6 from 7 pm to 8 pm: “NO NRC NO CENSUS”, “Base year of NRC must be 1951”, and “Order deferring Census must be issued during the ongoing Assembly”.
The organisation also asked members of the public to gather at Citizens' Club, Soibam Leikai, Wangkhei Khunou, at 11 am on September 7 to discuss whether the demands raised by the public had been addressed during the Assembly session.
JFD warned that failure to act on the demands urgently could lead to a larger public mobilisation. The statement urged the government to implement the proposed measures without delay.
