Quick Take: Why Manipur's Meiteis Want NRC (Citizens' Register) Pill, Side Effects Included
The Meitei community in Manipur is asking the government to carry out the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise to catch illegal immigrants and deport them. The demand comes amid the ethnic violence between the Meiteis, who are the majority in the valley in and around state capital Imphal, and the Kuki tribe, who are settled in the hills . Over 90 people have died in the violence that started on May 3. The Meiteis' demand for inclusion under the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category lit the fuse. The Kukis say the Meiteis will come like a swarm to take a big slice of the affirmative action policy. Then the Kukis brought up their decades-old demand for a so-called "Kuki Land", now repackaged as "separate administration". The Meiteis' campaign to be added under the ST category has gone into the background as the court case is likely to run for a long time . Instead, the valley residents have started asking for the NRC in Manipur - this demand is in a way a cou