Thiruvananthapuram: TheJD(S)Keralaunit, which is under pressuretodecide future course of action, is likelytoexplore option ofremainingastheofficialfactionby considering the decision of party supremo H D Deve Gowda and his son H D Kumaraswamy ledfactiontojoin the BJP-led NDAasan unofficial one.
A panel of four senior party leaders formed by theJD(S) state unit is likelytosubmit a suggestion in this regard at the state leadership meetingtobe held this week.
Party sources told DH that apart fromKerala, party units in many other states like Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Bihar are also of the view that thefactionthat decidedtojoin NDA needtobe consideredasa rebelfactionasthe decision was against party’s ideology and not even discussed at any forums of the party. There isdemand from other states tootoconvene a national council and declare that the decisiontojoin NDA was notofficial.
Though suggestions came up inKeralaunit ofJD(S)toform a new unit inKerala, the four member panel is learnttobe of the view that since it wasGowda and his son ledfactionthat took the ‘unofficial decision’, there was no need for theKeralaunittoleave theofficialJD(S).
A recent row over a remark of Gowda that the decisiontojoin NDA hadKeralaChief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s concurrence had put further pressure onJD(S)Keralaunittodecide its future course of action at the earliest. Though the party state leadership reiterated that it was opposing alliance with BJP and wouldremainwith left-front inKerala, political opponents, especially the Congress, was alleging of BJP-CPM nexus throughJD(S) and theJD(S)Keralaunit is stillremainingaspart of Gowda led party technically.
Senior leader C KNanu, Neelalohithadasan Nadar, Jose Thettayil and P M Safarulla are the members of the four member panel.
(Published 22 October 2023, 13:34 IST)