JD(U) sacks Manipur MLA over 'no support to BJP' letter
What's the story
The Janata Dal (United) has sacked its Manipur unit chief, Kshetrimayum Biren Singh, over a letter he wrote to the state's governor.
In the letter, Singh had claimed that the party was withdrawing its support from the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in Manipur.
The JD(U) has refuted these claims as "baseless" and cited indiscipline as the reason for his removal.
It said that Singh wrote the letter without consulting the central leadership.
Continued alliance
JDU reaffirms support for BJP-led government in Manipur
The JD(U) clarified its stand, saying it still supports the N Biren Singh-led BJP government in Manipur.
The party's national spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan Prasad called the letter misleading and said the state unit acted on its own without consulting the central leadership.
"The party has taken cognizance of this and...he (Manipur JDU chief) has been relieved of his position," Prasad said, as per India Today.
Political unrest
Controversy over JD(U)'s lone MLA and previous defections
The controversy was triggered by Singh's letter to Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, where he said the JD(U)'s only MLA Md Abdul Nasir would sit in opposition.
The letter also mentioned the defection of five JD(U) MLAs to the BJP following the 2022 Manipur elections.
"In the election...six candidates set up by JD(U) were returned. After a few months, five MLAs of JD(U) defected to BJP. Trial under Tenth Schedule of Constitution...of the five MLAs is pending," the letter noted.
Stable majority
BJP's majority in Manipur Assembly unaffected by controversy
The JD(U) won six seats in the 2022 Manipur assembly polls. However, five of its MLAs defected to the BJP soon after, and their disqualification is pending before the Speaker's tribunal.
The BJP has 37 seats in the 60-member assembly and is additionally backed by five MLAs of the Naga People's Front and three Independents.
Earlier, the Conrad Sangma's National People's Party (NPP) had withdrwan support from the BJP-led government amid ongoing ethnic violence between the Kukis and Meiteis.