BJP dismisses Pema Khandu replacement rumours

ITANAGAR: The state unit of BJP on Saturday denied rumours of plans to replace incumbent chief minister Pema Khandu. According to reports doing the rounds, the name of Union minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju had come up as a possible replacement, as had that of state BJP president Tapir Gao.Dismissing the reports, Gao issued a statement, saying, "Pema Khandu enjoys absolute support of 47 BJP and two Independent MLAs in the 60-member House. The state BJP extended its full support to Khandu. The BJP national executive meet, led by national president Amit Shah and northeast in charge Ram Madhav, have also reposed absolute faith in Khandu's leadership."Gao appealed to the media to be more responsible about the news they bring out. "Media is the fourth pillar of democracy and should, therefore, act responsibly in the larger interest of the state and its people. It should not be party to creating panicky situations by bringing out news items that do not have any source. Reputed dailies should not behave like social media by publishing news that does not have any accountability," he added.