Ibrahim removed as Karnataka JD(S) chief after BJP tie-up remarks; HDK takes over

Janata Dal (Secular) national president HD Deve Gowda has clarified that the removal of CM Ibrahim was in accordance with the party’s constitution

The national president of Janata Dal (Secular), HD Deve Gowda on Thursday removed CM Ibrahim from his position as the party’s Karnataka president after the latter opposed the party’s alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party. In his place, HD Kumaraswamy, the former Chief Minister of Karnataka and Gowda’s son, was appointed as the interim state president. Former Prime Minister Gowda also dissolved the State Executive Committee of the party.

CM Ibrahim

Addressing a press conference, Deve Gowda said: “Ibrahim has been removed in accordance with the party’s constitution. I have removed him, and the new president, HD Kumaraswamy, has been appointed.” Kumaraswamy, a two-time Karnataka chief minister, also holds the position of the party’s legislative unit president. Deve Gowda clarified that the removal of CM Ibrahim was in accordance with the party’s constitution.

The decision came after an emergency meeting attended by MLAs, MLCs, and district presidents of the party. The term “expelled from the party” was not specifically used in reference to Ibrahim, and the dissolution of the Executive Committee has only ended his tenure as the State party president.

It also comes days after Ibrahim, a veteran Janata Party and Janata Dal (S) leader who moved to the Congress in 2008 but then returned to the Janata Dal (S) in 2022 convened a meeting on Monday to oppose the party’s decision to ally with the BJP. Ibrahim claimed that the decision to align with the BJP had been made without consulting the party’s members, even hinting at the possibility of a split and suggesting that his faction represented the “original JD(S)”.

Deve Gowda also rejected Ibrahim’s claim that minority leaders were deserting the party due to its alliance with the BJP, citing the steadfast loyalty of leaders such as BM Farooq, a member of the legislative council.

Kumaraswamy told reporters that the state unit was dissolved owing to political developments that had taken place since the May Assembly elections. “The national president dissolved the state unit and formed an ad hoc committee. We are reorganising to strengthen the party. There is no other reason,” he said.

In response to his ousting, CM Ibrahim expressed his intent to seek legal recourse by approaching the high court. “They do not have the authority to remove me. According to the JD(S) constitution, the elected MLAs must convene a meeting and present a vote of no confidence against me. This is the prescribed procedure. However, the respected Deve Gowda has unilaterally removed me.”

He added, “I hold the position of the party’s president, and according to the established procedure, they lack the authority to dismiss me. I will take my case to the election commission and immediately approach the High Court to seek an injunction. If you, Mr. Gowda, continue to centralize the party around yourself and your family, which communities will align with you? Disregarding the Muslim community, have you allowed any Vokkagalia leader to flourish within your party?”

During the press conference, Deve Gowda also mentioned that all state units of JD(S), including those in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Kerala, had given their approval to align with the BJP. He added, “In Kerala, we are part of the government, and our MLA is a minister there. These units understood the situation that made us go with the BJP and supported our move. Our minister in the Left party’s government (K Krishnankutty) in Kerala has given his consent to us,” Gowda said. “Kerala’s Left Party Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has given full concurrence to move forward in Karnataka with the BJP to save the party. This is the position,” Gowda claimed.

However, the executive committee of the Kerala unit of JD(S) met on Saturday to pass a resolution stating that it will continue to align with the CPM-led LDF, of which it has been a member for over four decades. Mathew T Thomas, Thiruvalla MLA and the state president of JD(S), said, “The state executive committee of the JDS fully rejects the decision of the party’s national president to align with the NDA. The committee declares that it will continue and strengthen the four-decade-old alliance with the Left and secular forces in Kerala.”