Gowda convenes party meet in New Delhi today

Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, who was removed from the JD (S) by a splinter group in Trivandrum, has convened a parallel JD (S) national executive meeting in New Delhi on Monday, ostensibly to clear the air over his “expulsion” from the party.

Gowda’s aide and party spokesman Y S V Datta told reporters that the national executive meeting in New Delhi, to be attended by a “majority” of the members, will express solidarity and faith in the leadership of Gowda.

Terming Gowda’s “expulsion” from the party by a “handful” of members at the behest of M P Veerendra Kumar, as “farce and unconstitutional”, Datta said Gowda remained the national President of the JD (S).

The party’s supreme policy making body – the national council – had elected Gowda as the national President on November 13, 2005, and had given him powers to constitute a national executive body comprising 55 members and 20 special invitees.

“The list of members has already been furnished to the Election Commission of India, which is fully aware of the developments held as per the party’s constitution”, Datta said.

The JD (S) spokesperson also said that the people, who had expelled Gowda, have no “locus standi on the issue”. “We have ignored these developments as they did not have constitutional propriety”, he added.

With the backing of a majority of the legislators, MPs and national executive members, Datta said Gowda was confident of retaining the JD (S) symbol – a woman carrying a haystack on her head.

The Gowda faction of the JD (S) is confident of retaining the party symbol. The Election Commission has already made it clear it its verdict that the party symbol will be allotted to the group representing a majority of the members. “After the 2002 Supreme Court verdict, the Election Commission is following a majority rule in allotting the symbols. Gowda enjoys the support of a majority of legislators, MPs and national executive members”, Datta said.