BJP’s Northeast in-charge Sambit Patra on Wednesday welcomed the Centre’s decision to postpone the 2027 Census exercise in Manipur, saying the move responds to an important demand raised by people in the violence-affected state.
Patra arrived in Imphal to attend a high-level meeting of the party. He was received by Rajya Sabha MP A Sharda and senior BJP leaders, including K Sharat, P Premananda and Deben.
Speaking to reporters, Patra said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been closely monitoring the situation in Manipur and had taken note of the concerns expressed by people regarding the census.
He expressed gratitude to Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for agreeing to defer the exercise following appeals from various sections of the state.
“I would like to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for deferring the Census following the request of the people of Manipur,” Patra said.
He also referred to a recent meeting in New Delhi chaired by Amit Shah, where the census issue was discussed in the presence of Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh and Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla.
Patra acknowledged the efforts of state legislators and civil society organisations, saying their representations had also contributed to the decision to postpone the census.
On the demand for updating the National Register of Citizens, Patra said the deferment of the census should be viewed as an important step, while the NRC matter would be dealt with separately.
“The NRC process will be taken up in due course,” he said, adding that any decision on the issue would be taken by the Union Home Ministry.
Patra appealed to the people of Manipur to regard the postponement as a significant development, stressing that the Centre had taken the decision in response to concerns and representations from the state.
