Imphal: The Opposition Congress in Manipur on Monday strongly criticised Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, stating that linking the National Register of Citizens exercise to the Census has created confusion among the public.
Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee Vice-President Hareshwar Goswami condemned the Chief Minister’s recent remarks on the National Register of Citizens, terming them “misleading” and asserting that the conduct of a Census is not a prerequisite for updating the National Register of Citizens.
Speaking to media persons at Congress Bhavan in Imphal, Goswami clarified that the National Register of Citizens is updated under the provisions of the Citizenship Act, 1955, while the Census is conducted under the Census Act, 1948.
He emphasised that both processes are governed by separate legal frameworks and authorities.
Coming down heavily on the Chief Minister, the senior Congress leader stated that individuals holding constitutional or high public offices should refrain from making statements that could misinform or confuse citizens on important policy matters.
Referring to the experience of neighbouring Assam, Goswami pointed out that the National Register of Citizens there was updated using the 1951 Census as a base document, along with other admissible records, indicating that conducting a fresh Census is not mandatory for the exercise.
He also alleged inconsistency within the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party on the National Register of Citizens issue.
The state Congress Vice-President claimed that in November 2019, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced in Parliament that the National Register of Citizens would be updated nationwide.
However, Goswami contrasted this with a statement by PM Modi in December 2019 at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi, in which the Prime Minister reportedly said there had been no discussion of implementing the National Register of Citizens nationwide.
The Congress leader further referred to a statement made in February 2019 by former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh during an Assembly session, in which he said that a recommendation to update the National Register of Citizens had been forwarded to the Union government.
Goswami questioned why the issue of conducting a Census prior to the National Register of Citizens was not raised at that time, describing the current stance as contradictory, especially since both the former and present leadership in the state belong to the same political party.
Meanwhile, the Opposition Congress in Manipur has also called for deferring the upcoming Census exercise in the state.
The party insisted that the process should be postponed until normalcy is fully restored and all Internally Displaced Persons affected by ethnic violence are able to return to their native places.
In a memorandum submitted earlier this month to Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Manipur Congress President Okram Ibobi Singh highlighted the prevailing law-and-order concerns.
He noted that between February 8 and April 10, at least eight people were killed in separate violent incidents across different districts, including two children and a Border Security Force jawan.
Singh, who served as Chief Minister for three terms from 2001 to 2017, also urged the government to expedite the investigation into the killing of two minor children in Tronglaobi village in Bishnupur district on April 7 and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice within a specified timeframe.
