Congress Party supports illegal immigrants, Meitei Forum accused

Imphal: A Manipur-based socio-political group, the Meitei Resurgence Forum (MREF), has alleged that the Congress party is working against the country’s national interest by supporting illegal immigrants in the state.
MREF said in a press release that the Congress party’s refusal to support the demand to update the NRC in Manipur shows that the Congress party has a significant vote bank among illegal immigrants in the state.

“The current refusal of the Indian National Congress to support the people of Manipur in their call for the updating of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is evident from the public statements made by central leaders of the party, notably Rahul Gandhi. It is widely acknowledged that illegal immigrants have been a significant vote bank for the Congress Party for an extended period. Public documents released by the Meitei Resurgence Forum (MReF) reveal that over 1500 families of Kuki Refugees from Myanmar were resettled in Manipur between 1967 and 1973, with voting rights,” said the MREF.

MREF also said that the walkout of Congress MLAs in the Assembly during the resolution for updating the NRC is highly regrettable.

“The walkout from the Manipur Legislative Assembly by Congress MLAs, including former CM Shri Okram Ibobi, Ex-Minister Shri K. Ranjit, Ex-Speaker Shri Th. Lokeshwor, Shri Okram Surajkumar, and MPCC President Shri K. Meghachandra, during the Assembly Resolution for the updating of the NRC in Manipur is deeply regrettable. Despite their legitimate concerns about the assembly procedure, they should have prioritized the interests of Manipur by participating in the resolution for updating the NRC,” it was stated in the press release.

The Meitei Resurgence Forum called upon the Congress party not to engage in vote-bank politics and “work against the interests of Manipur.”

“We urge the Indian National Congress to stop working against the interests of the Meiteis and Manipur. It is essential to recognize that the politics of vote-bank has evolved into a national security concern, with implications for India’s territorial integrity, alongside the drug menace facing the Northeast and the nation as a whole,” said the MReF.

The Meitei outfit further stated that the efforts to address the issue of illegal immigration have only materialized following the coming of BJP-led governments at both the central and state levels.