Manipur wants a National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state like the one that has been prepared in Assam, chief minister N. Biren Singh said on Monday. He claimed that many states in the Northeast “need” it.

He said the Manipur cabinet had already adopted a resolution in support of a citizenship roll in the state. “We and many states in the Northeast need NRC. The Manipur government has already taken a decision in the cabinet to have NRC,” Singh told journalists on the sidelines of the meeting of the North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) here. The Centre’s view is very clear that no illegal immigrant will be allowed to stay anywhere in the country, Biren said, adding: “That’s a very clear message.”

Asked how the state plans to implement the exercise, he said it was a call the Centre had to take. “It will be done through the central government. Assam has done it under the supervision of the Supreme Court. So we are requesting the central government,” he said.