Getting more vocal : MUA joins call to defer census

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Mar 14 : The Maring Uparup Assembly (MUA) has joined the call to defer census operations until illegal immigrants are identified and deported.
Speaking to media persons at Manipur Press Club here today, MUA president Wairok Hangsing Maring categorically said that no census operations will be allowed in Maring areas until illegal immigrants are identified and deported.
Following the political unrest in neighbouring Myanmar, a large number of immigrants moved to Manipur and it took the form of an influx since 2021, he said.
With their numbers swelling year after year, the illegal immigrants are now posing serious threats to the very survival of indigenous people, Wairok Hangsing Maring said.
He said, “Although the Government collected biometric data of around 1700 illegal immigrants in the Maring areas, we fear that there are more than 5000 illegal immigrants from Myanmar in the Maring areas alone”.
With no identity cards or house numbers issued, collection of biometric data is helping very little in keeping track of the illegal immigrants.
Now nobody knows where the illegal immigrants have gone. The number of illegal immigrants housed in the refugee camps opened in the Maring areas has declined considerably, Wairok Hangsing Maring said.
He said that many of the illegal immigrants have merged with villagers who share common or similar language, physical appearance, food habits and culture.
Once the illegal immigrants merge with the local villagers, it is very hard to identify them, he said.
It is a foregone conclusion that the illegal immigrants who have merged with local people sharing common or similar language and culture will be counted as citizens of the country if census operations are carried out under the prevailing situation, he said.
Once the illegal immigrants are taken into the count, they will be enlisted in the electoral roll too sooner rather than later, he said.
He urged the Government to first identify the illegal immigrants before carrying out census operations.
If the illegal immigrants are not first identified and deported before the census operations, the consequences will be dire and irreversible for all the indigenous people, he warned.
Wairok Hangsing Maring added that they will submit a memorandum to the Chief Minister spelling out that no census operations will be allowed in the Maring areas  until illegal immigrants are identified and deported.
Meanwhile, the All Kongba Road United Clubs’ Organisation (AKRUCO) and the Manipur Peace and Integrity (MAPI) Council have also appealed to the Government to first identify illegal immigrants using mechanisms like the NRC before proceeding with the census operations.
The current law and order situation, marked by communal tensions, raises questions regarding the feasibility of a fair and accurate census. The gravity of the situation is highlighted by the fact that several MLAs, including a Deputy CM, are attending the ongoing Assembly session online due to security concerns, AKRUCO said.
A census conducted without addressing the issue of illegal immigration may lead to distortion of demographic records, impact resource allocation, compromise National security and exacerbate social tension, said separate press notes issued by MAPI Council and AKRUCO.
Highlighting the prevailing situation including pending resettlement of IDPs, restricted movement and non-functional district administrations in certain areas, AKRUCO and MAPI Council have urged the Government to postpone the scheduled census.
AKRUCO along with its 27 local clubs and 45 Meira Paibi units, have expressed unwavering support for and pledged full cooperation to the Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (CJFD) in pursuit of the popular demand for identification and deportation of illegal immigrants before launching census operations.        
MAPI Council too has pledged unstinted support and participation in CJFD’s movement regarding census.