People's Protection Bill not like NRC, says Manipur CM

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh Saturday said the Manipur People's Protection Bill will not stop anyone from settling down in the state, and it is not similar to the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

The Bill, passed unanimously by the Manipur assembly on July 23, aims to grant the status of "natives" to Meiteis, Pangal Muslims, scheduled tribes and others who moved to the state before 1951.

Meiteis and Pangal Muslims are ethnic groups of Manipur.

The rest, categorised as "Non-Manipuris", will have to register themselves within one month of the notification of the law.

"NRC has nothing to do with Manipur.... NRC is purely for Assam. The People's Protection bill is a regulatory bill (that will) not deny anyone (the right) to settle." he said while speaking at the India Today Conclave East.

The only similarity between the NRC and the Manipur People's Protection Bill is that both seek to identify people who are not Indians, but the People's Protection Bill will not bar anybody from buying property or settling down, Singh said.

Stating that the situation of Manipur is not that of Kashmir, he said the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act has been withdrawn from municipal areas but lifting it from rural areas will take a "little more time" as "national integration and unity of India" are important.

The situation in the state has become relatively peaceful now, he said.

"Unlike the situation in Kashmir, which has to deal with infiltration from Pakistan, identifying aggressors in Manipur is difficult since everything happens internally," he said.