india

Updated: Jun 16, 2019 23:41 IST

The Manipur government on Sunday rejected media reports that the presence of most ministers and ruling BJP lawmakers in New Delhi had anything to do with a possible leadership change in the state.

Manipur government spokesman Th Radheshyam admitted there were some differences of opinion within the government and added everything will be sorted out once chief minister N Biren Singh returns to Manipur from New Delhi.

BJP lawmaker, S Rajen, who returned from New Delhi on Sunday, also denied any possibility of change in leadership.

The troubles for the BJP-led Manipur government began when Naga People’s Front (NPF) threatened to pull out of it last month over the alleged “discrimination” it faced.

The BJP has 21 members in the 60-member assembly. It has been in power since March 2017 with the support of NPF, which has four members, three other smaller parties, an Independent and a rebel Congress legislator.

Singh last week divested Y Joykumar of the NPP and BJP’s Th Biswajit of the finance, public works and power portfolios after the Reserve Bank of India banned all transaction of funds from the account of state government for having overdrawn in excess of arrangements agreed upon. He constituted a three-member committee to examine the details of funds withdrawn by public works and power departments from March to May.

The two ministers divested of their portfolios rushed to Delhi and fuelled rumours that over a dozen BJP lawmakers had submitted a letter to the high command seeking Singh’s removal.

Singh is also in Delhi for meetings with Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman and BJP leader Ram Madhav.