Imphal, April 27: The opposition Congress party in Manipur has sharply criticized Chief Minister N. Biren Singh. They claim that linking the National Register of Citizens (NRC) process with the census has caused confusion among the public.
Hareeshwar Goswami, Vice President of the Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee, condemned the Chief Minister’s recent statements regarding the NRC, labeling them misleading. He emphasized that associating the census with the NRC is incorrect and that the census is not a prerequisite for updating the NRC.
Speaking to the media at the Congress headquarters in Imphal, Goswami clarified that the NRC is updated under the Citizenship Act of 1955, while the census is conducted under the Census Act of 1948. He pointed out that both processes operate under distinct legal frameworks and different authorities.
Goswami criticized the Chief Minister, stating that individuals in constitutional positions should refrain from making statements that could confuse the public. He cited Assam as an example, where the NRC was updated based on the 1951 census and other documents, indicating that a new census is not necessary.
He also accused the BJP of contradictions regarding the NRC issue. He noted that in November 2019, Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated in Parliament that the NRC would be implemented nationwide. However, in December 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed in New Delhi that there had been no discussion on a nationwide NRC.
Goswami raised questions about why there were no concerns regarding the relationship between the census and the NRC when both current and former leadership in the state belonged to the same party.
Meanwhile, the Manipur Congress has demanded a postponement of the upcoming census in the state. The party stated that this process should be delayed until complete peace is restored and all internally displaced individuals affected by ethnic violence return to their homes.
The Congress expressed its concerns about the law and order situation in a memorandum submitted to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla.
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