NEW DELHI, March 27: Rajya Sabha MP Maharaja Sanajaoba Leishemba on Thursday urged the central government to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Manipur to identify and deport illegal immigrants, emphasizing the need to protect the state from potential demographic imbalances.
Speaking during the Zero Hour in the Upper House, Leishemba highlighted the prevailing law and order situation in Manipur, stating that it would not be appropriate to make any changes to the state’s electoral constituencies at this time. He pointed to a significant rise in the number of villages in certain districts, describing it as an “abnormal and illogical increase.”
According to Leishemba, the number of villages in the districts of Kangpokpi, Tengnoupal, Chandel, Churachandpur, and Pherzawl has surged from 731 in 1969 to 1,624 in 2024—a staggering 122% increase over five decades. In comparison, Naga-dominated areas experienced a much smaller rise of just 9%, with the number of villages increasing from 527 to 576 during the same period.
The BJP MP cautioned that illegal immigrants were infiltrating India’s administration and electoral politics by exploiting the porous Indo-Myanmar border. He stressed that this trend posed a severe threat to the indigenous population of Manipur.
Leishemba urged the Government of India to first detect and deport these illegal immigrants through NRC, using 1951 as the base year, before considering any changes to the state’s electoral constituencies.
He concluded that implementing the NRC is the only logical solution to prevent demographic imbalances in Manipur, asserting that without such measures, the indigenous population could face significant challenges in their own homeland.
