Imphal: Jeetendra Ningomba, convenor of the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation Committee, slammed state government spokespersons Th. Radheshyam and Sapam Ranjan. He accused the pair of muddying the waters regarding the National Register of Citizens and the upcoming census. The government lacks a written assurance on using 1951 as the base year for NRC updates.
The JFD responded to statements made during a September 13 press conference. Government officials claimed they approached the Centre to pause census operations until the NRC process concludes. Ningomba called foul. He pointed to an Extraordinary Gazette notification from the Registrar General and Census Commissioner dated September 5.
This document sets the house-listing exercise for September 1 to September 30, 2026. It contains no language pausing the census for NRC work. Ningomba noted, "The existing notification did not establish that the Census would be withheld until the NRC process was completed." He added that the state assembly resolution never explicitly locked 1951 as the official base year.
Ningomba acknowledged a mission led by the Home Minister to press the Centre for action as a positive move. However, he demands the government make all commitments from New Delhi public. The group intends to ramp up protests, including shuttering their office, to force transparency. They argue the government ignores legitimate public rights and fuels unrest by failing to provide clear, actionable data.
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