Demography was changed systematically over decades : Former CM Fingers pointed at refugees from Myanmar

Imphal, Apr 2
Former Manipur Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh on Tuesday said the State’s demographic transformation was shaped systematically in the 1960s and 1970s through the settlement of refugees from Burma, now Myanmar.
The authorities in Manipur and New Delhi were then aware of this plan, he wrote on social media platform X.
He said the people of Manipur must not lose sight of the core issue of demographic change amid the political noise and distractions that often clouded public discourse. “It’s hard not to feel a deep sense of frustration when we look back at what has unfolded in Manipur over the decades,” Mr Singh said.
He cited official records relating to the settlement of more than 1,500 families from Myanmar by the 1970s. He uploaded a copy of a letter written in June 1973 by former Manipur MP Paokai Haokip to the then Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, KC Pant, to prove his point.
These refugees had already been settled in Manipur by 1967, he said.
In the letter, the former MP requested the Centre to shelter the refugees, give them financial help, and jobs for sustenance.
“His correspondence is just one among several that confirm how deeply rooted and long-standing this issue is,” Mr Singh wrote, adding there were multiple letters from MPs, Government departments, and refugee asso- ciations — all pointing to the presence of a large num-ber of refugees in Manipur.
“What happened to those families ? How were they integrated ? How many generations have grown since then ? These questions have never been fully addressed in the public domain... even as the demographic structure of the State evolved quietly over the years,” he said.
“It’s important to ask whether there were legal mechanisms in place to ensure these individuals remained in refugee status. Were they eventually granted full rights ? Were they added to the electoral rolls ? Were they extended benefits meant for indigenous communities ? These are not small matters, they touch the core of our identity, our social balance, and the direction we’re heading in as a society,” Singh said.
He said it was disheartening that anyone who raised these “legitimate concerns” has faced a backlash. “The moment the issue is mentioned, labels are quickly thrown around. Ironically, had we stayed silent, we might have been seen as agreeable or unproblematic,” he said.
“But silence is no longer an option. We cannot afford to watch quietly as a historical issue with far-reaching consequences continues to shape our present and our future. It is time to revisit this chapter and not to assign blame, but to understand what happened, reflect on its implications, and chart a fair and balanced path forward,” Mr. Singh said.
Earlier, Manipur’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators sought a review of the 2001 Census, and the implementation of the National Register of Citizens before the delimitation exercise is carried out in the State.
The party’s MLAs held a meeting on April 1 to discuss the Supreme Court’s order to the Centre to undertake delimitation in Manipur within three months, and the plea of 13 other parties to defer the exercise until the “errors” in the 2001 headcount were rectified.
“When it comes to delimitation, we want what the people want. The 2001 Census needs to be reviewed first,” senior BJP legislator Konthoujam Govindas said.
The Hindu