Gowda dissolves Kerala unit of JD (S)

Hours before the parallel national executive committee meeting of JD (S) convened by dissident leader M P Veerendra Kumar could begin in Trivandrum, party’s national President H D Deve Gowda has dissolved the Kerala unit of JD (S).

According to JD (S) sources in Bangalore, Gowda took a decision to dissolve the Kerala unit of JD (S) headed by Veerendra Kumar after holding confabulations with party leaders in New Delhi. Gowda has appointed former Kerala Minister Neelalohitadasan Nadar as the new President of Kerala unit of JD (S).

Gowda told reporters in Bangalore that the national executive and national council meeting of JD (S) convened at Trivandrum was “illegal and unconstitutional”. He said the party had already suspended Veerendra Kumar and former Karnataka Minister P G R Sindhia from the party.

Gowda, who commands the support of 49 MLAs in Karnataka, besides two Lok Sabha MPs and two Rajya Sabha MPs, said the party had convened a national council meeting in New Delhi on December 25 during which the suspension of Veerendra Kumar and Sindhia would be ratified.

Meanwhile, more than a hundred JD (S) activists from Karnataka, including former Minister Ekanthaiah, son of former Karnataka Chief Minister J H Patel, Trishulpani Patel, have left for Trivandrum to attend the national executive and national council meeting.

Though many among the party activists, who have left for Kerala, are not members of either the national executive or the national council, sources said these members are likely to be co-opted.