JD (S) revokes Kumaraswamy’s suspension

The JD (S) national executive meeting yesterday revoked the suspension of Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and 38 party MLAs, who had aligned with the BJP earlier this year to form a coalition Government.

According to information reaching here, the national executive of JD (S) chaired by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda at New Delhi on Monday, also suspended veteran party leader Surendra Mohan, who had been elevated as party President by the splinter group headed by Kerala MP Veerendra Kumar at a parallel meeting held at Trivandrum.

JD (S) spokesperson Y S V Datta told reporters that the national executive meeting attended by more than 50 members, including senior leader Bapu Kaldate, expressed faith and loyalty in the leadership of Gowda as the party President.

The meeting assumes significance in the wake of the rebel faction owing loyalty to Veerendra Kumar replacing Gowda with Surendra Mohan from the top organizational post for permitting the party to align with “communal” BJP.

Datta said the meeting discussed the report submitted by the party’s disciplinary action committee headed by Agarwal and decided in favour of revoking the suspension of Kumaraswamy and 38 party MLAs, who had joined hands with the BJP to form a coalition Government in Karnataka during February 2006.

The meeting also ratified the suspension of Veerendra Kumar and former Karnataka Minister P G R Sindhia. “Though Gowda hesitated to suspend veteran leader Surendra Mohan, the executive committee members demanded the veteran leader’s suspension as he had been made the party President at an unconstitutional meeting”, he said.

Also, the JD (S) leaders will be meeting the Election Commission officials in New Delhi in a day or two to retain the party symbol of a woman carrying hay-stack on her head, Datta said.

The decisions taken by the national executive of the party on Monday are expected to deepen the crisis gripping the JD (S) and eventually lead to formalizing a split in the party over Gowda’s support to the party legislators in Karnataka in forming a coalition Government in Karnataka.