Correspondent
IMPHAL, AUG 31: In a significant development amid the ongoing “No NRC, No Census” agitations, the Union government on Monday announced the deferment of Census operations in Manipur. The decision followed a high-level review meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi, attended by Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan and other senior officials.
The meeting discussed in detail the demand raised by civil society groups and the public to defer the Census until the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is updated. An official statement from the Chief Minister’s Secretariat confirmed that the Centre agreed to postpone the exercise, originally scheduled to begin September 1, considering the sentiments and aspirations of the people.
Chief Minister Singh expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, BJP national president Nitin Nabin and other central leaders for listening to the voices of Manipur. He also acknowledged the efforts of 14 civil society organisations and BJP MLAs who campaigned in New Delhi for NRC implementation. Singh urged citizens to refrain from bandhs and blockades, stressing that such actions only cause hardship to the public.
Meanwhile, the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD), which had called a 24-hour statewide general strike from midnight of August 31, maintained its protest stance, saying no concrete decision had been announced earlier. JFD secretary Longjam Ratankumar reiterated the demand for NRC update before Census operations.
State Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam appealed to the JFD to withdraw the strike, noting that the Centre had already agreed to defer the Census. In another development, the High Court of Manipur withheld the Census process until further orders while hearing petitions filed by the Kangleipak Students’ Association and civil society leader Shanta Nahakpam. The petitions sought NRC update with 1951 as the base year and measures to address alleged illegal migration, particularly from Myanmar. The next hearing is scheduled for October 12.