Imphal, August 12: Former Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has stressed that detecting and deporting illegal immigrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh is essential to safeguard the state’s security, identity, and demographic balance.
In a post on X on Monday, Singh thanked Manipur’s lone Rajya Sabha MP, Leishemba Sanajaoba, for raising the issue in Parliament. “I thank Hon’ble MP @MaharajaManipur for boldly raising in Parliament the urgent need to detect, identify and deport illegal immigrants from Myanmar & Bangladesh… This is not just an administrative necessity, but a matter of safeguarding the rights, culture, and future of the people of Manipur,” Singh wrote, while criticising other MPs for their silence on the matter.
Sanajaoba, speaking in the Upper House, warned that conducting the census before resolving the issue would be “very unfortunate” for Manipur, potentially causing social unrest and eroding the constitutional rights of indigenous people. He alleged that, despite a Ministry of Home Affairs directive on May 19, 2025, instructing states and Union Territories to complete the process within a month, the Manipur government had taken no concrete steps so far.
The MP also flagged anomalies in previous census data, noting that between 2001 and 2011, the state recorded abnormal population growth, including a 202.88% surge in three sub-divisions of Senapati district. He argued that such figures underscored the urgency of addressing illegal immigration before the next census is conducted.
