Patna: Hours after eyebrows were raised and questions asked about a possible rift in the Janata Dal (United)-BJP bonhomie, Nitish Kumar’s party got into damage control mode.
JD(U) clarified that it continues to support the N Biren Singh-led BJP government in Manipur, dismissing claims of withdrawing support as “baseless.”
More significantly, JD(U) sacked its Manipur unit president Kshetrimayum Biren Singh, who had written a letter to the Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla stating that the party’s lone MLA Md Abdul Nasir would henceforth sit in the Opposition benches, thereby withdrawing support to the government.
Calling the letter misleading, JD(U) national spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan Prasad said that the state unit had not communicated with the central leadership and acted independently.
JD(U) cited indiscipline as the reason for his removal and reaffirmed its alliance with the BJP at both state and national levels.
“The party has taken cognisance of this and the president of Manipur unit of the party has been relieved of his position. We have supported NDA and our support to the NDA government in Manipur will continue even in the future. Manipur unit did not have any communication with the central leadership, they were not taken into confidence. He (Manipur JDU chief) had written the letter on his own,” Prasad said.
“Considering this an act of indiscipline, action has been taken against him and relieved of his position… We are with the NDA and the state unit will continue to serve the people of Manipur towards the development of the state,” he added.
