A prominent global body representing the Meitei community in Manipur has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to conduct the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise in the state before initiating the delimitation process.
The appeal comes in response to the Supreme Court’s March 17 directive, which mandated the Centre to complete the delimitation exercise in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, and Assam within three months. Despite a 2020 presidential order lifting the deferment, the process has remained stalled.
In a letter to PM Modi, the Meitei Alliance stressed the necessity of implementing a contextualized NRC framework to protect legitimate citizens and ensure long-term political stability, security, and communal harmony. The group warned that proceeding with delimitation without first addressing security and demographic concerns could derail ongoing peace efforts led by the government, civil society, and the people of Manipur, particularly its youth.
The Meitei Alliance cited historical records to support its claim that illegal immigration into Manipur has been rampant since India’s independence and the state’s integration into the Indian Union. The organization referred to a 1973 letter from then-MP P. Haokip to Union Home Minister K.C. Pant, in which Haokip acknowledged the presence of 1,500 Kuki refugee families from Myanmar in Manipur since 1967. Another document from the same year showed the Burma Kuki Refugees' Association requesting financial aid and land for displaced families. The Centre eventually approved ₹3.92 lakh (equivalent to ₹23 lakh today, adjusted for inflation).
The letter argued that, under the Indian Citizenship Act, 1955, illegal immigrants and refugees cannot be granted Indian citizenship. However, it alleged that many such immigrants in Manipur have not only obtained Indian citizenship but are also availing Scheduled Tribe (ST) benefits, which it claimed violates constitutional provisions and encourages further illegal immigration. The Meitei Alliance urged the government to review citizenship records and update the NRC to rectify wrongful inclusions, ensuring the protection of indigenous communities and preserving social harmony.
The group further alleged that Manipur is experiencing a systematic constitutional breakdown, requiring immediate intervention before delimitation can take place. It accused vested interests of fueling violence to prolong instability and push unconstitutional demands through terror tactics.
Additionally, the letter raised concerns about the 24 Kuki militant groups that have signed a Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with the Centre and the Manipur government. The Meitei Alliance claimed that peace and law enforcement cannot be restored as long as these groups continue to violate the agreement’s ground rules with impunity. It accused their leaders of orchestrating violence while adopting deceptive roles to undermine Manipur’s territorial integrity.
The Meitei Alliance is one of two key organizations—alongside the Thadou Inpi Manipur, a major civil body of the Thadou tribe—that have joined forces on a common platform for the first time since ethnic violence erupted in Manipur in May 2023. The two groups described their March 8 meeting as a "historic and significant moment" for fostering dialogue and unity.
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