A 14-member platform of Manipur civil society organisations has urged the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to convene tripartite talks involving the Union government, the Manipur government, and representatives of different communities before the Census proceeds. The groups argued that citizenship-related concerns must be addressed first to ensure the exercise is accepted across the state.

The delegation, which met Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, BJP president Nitin Nabin, and MHA officials in Delhi over recent days, said they want Census-related activities postponed and a dialogue initiated on implementing a National Register of Citizens (NRC)-type mechanism in Manipur. The leaders declined to disclose details of the discussions.