Representatives of civil society organisations, student bodies, leaders, intellectuals, lawyers and academicians of Manipur have come together to mount pressure on the state government for implementation of National Register for Citizen (NRC) in Manipur.
A one-day consultative discussion on the implementation of NRC in Manipur was held on Wednesday at the City Convention in Imphal with heads discussing the modus operandi for implementation of National Register for Citizen (NRC) in the state.
The discussion was moderated by former acting chairperson of Manipur Human Rights Commission, Khaidem Mani, who is also an advocate. RK Narendra, professor of department of Biostatistics, RIMS and Yumnam Premananda, Head of Department Law, Manipur University attended as the resource persons.
The discussion resolved to pressure the state government for taking up essential steps for implementation of NRC, to support any agitation of NRC implementation, to responsibility of giving consciousness on demographic challenges facing in the state, to pressure state government for establishment of full-fledged population commission and to organise further meeting jointly regarding implementation of NRC in Manipur.
The discussion also resolved to form a joint committee.
The demand for implementation of the NRC is a long pending demand from various quarters and sections of the people of the state. The consultative discussion programme for implementation of NRC was organized by Manipur Students’ Federation (MSF), Democratic Students’ Alliance of Manipur (DESAM), Apunba Ireipakki Maheiroi Singlup (AIMS), Kangleipak Students’ Association (KSA), Students’ Union of Kangleipak (SUK) and another student union.
Resource person RK Narendra in his opening remark, recounted how the NRC movement started in the state of Assam and the suffering that the people of Assam face during the agitation.
He said there is no serious issue rather than present contentious population issues including migration issues as it relates to survival and identity of the indigenous people in their own soil. He suggested that to solve this man-made catastrophe, NRC updation in Manipur is one of the first and foremost scientific and systematic steps, which is permissible by the law of the land. The document's clear picture of population dynamics and migration portrait should be ready. Thereafter, further course of actions can be initiated step by step to solve the population issue once for all, he added.
Yumnam Premananda, as a resource person stressed on how to implement the NRC. He stressed on the need of the state government to push the matter to the central government as the implementation of NRC needs a gazette notification. This is the right time as there is a BJP led government in the center and a BJP led government in the state of Manipur.
Premananda said that demand for NRC and its implementation can only be pushed by the students. He highlighted the citizenship rights provided under the Article 11 of the Indian constitution and regarding NRC, Premanda said that the NRC comes from the registration of citizenship and issues to National Identity card Rule.
Premananda further said that laws are there that will boost the movement for implementation of the NRC and its time that the demand be pushed at this juncture when there is a double engine government.
