Imphal, Sep 2 (PTI) BJP MP Sambit Patra on Wednesday said the decision to defer the 2027 Census in Manipur was a big step as far as the aspirations of the people of Manipur were concerned.
Speaking to reporters in Imphal, the BJP’s Northeast coordinator thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the decision, which was taken following a high-level meeting in Delhi in the presence of Chief Minister Y Khemchand and Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla.
“I believe this (deferring the census) is a big step as far as the aspirations of the people of Manipur are concerned. We welcome this decision. I hope we should also realise that the central government is always trying to see that all good comes to Manipur,” Patra said.
“The central government, the Modi government, has a special place for Manipur in its heart,” he added.
He thanked the civil society organisations (CSOs) for raising their concerns and the eight MLAs who had met Shah in Delhi over the issue.
“They took up the matter in Delhi, and today we have the result in front of us,” he said.
Asked about the demand for updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC), Patra said such decisions would be taken “in due course of time” at the level of the Union home minister.
“The first demand was that the Census should be deferred and that has been met with,” he said.
The Centre on Monday deferred Census operations in Manipur considering the demand by civil society organisations for updating the NRC before conducting the exercise.
The development came a day before house listing of the Census exercise was scheduled to begin in the state on September 1. PTI CORR SOM
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