PATNA: JDU sacked its Manipur unit president Kshetrimayum Biren Singh on Wednesday, hours after he wrote to the governor that his party had ‘withdrawn’ support to the BJP-led NDA govt in the northeastern state.
“Our Manipur unit president Singh took the decision regarding withdrawal of support to the BJP-led govt without consulting the central leadership. He acted independently, inviting disciplinary action and his removal from the position,” JDU national spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan Prasad said. “We are with NDA, and the party’s Manipur unit will continue to support the BJP-led govt there.” JDU is an ally of BJP at the Centre and in Bihar, Jharkhand and Manipur.
Earlier, Singh wrote to the Manipur governor on JDU’s letterhead, saying: “In the election to the state assembly of Manipur held in Feb-March 2022, six candidates set up by JDU were returned. After a few months, five MLAs of JDU defected to BJP. Trial under the 10th Schedule of the Constitution of India of the five MLAs is pending before the Speaker’s Tribunal. After JDU became a part of the INDIA bloc, support to the BJP-led govt was withdrawn by the party by informing the office of the governor, leader of the House (CM) and speaker,” the letter read.
“As such, the seating arrangement of the lone MLA of JDU in Manipur, Mohd Abdul Nasir, was made in the opposition bench in the last session of the assembly by the speaker. It is, hereby, further reiterated that JDU’s Manipur unit does not support the BJP-led state govt, and our lone MLA, Abdul Nasir, shall be treated as an opposition MLA in the House,” Singh said in his letter.
BJP has 37 legislators in the 60-member Manipur assembly, besides the support of five Naga People’s Front MLAs and three independents.
