JDS to decide on action against Kumaraswamy

This happened a day after Deve Gowda formally anointed his son as the JDS Legislature Party Leader.

The newly-appointed JDS Karnataka President MP Prakash on Tuesday said the party's disciplinary Action Committee would decide on the next course of action against Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and other MLAs supporting him.

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The MLAs were suspended for joining hands with the BJP in forming a coalition government in the state.

The suspension issue was before the disciplinary action committee and it would decide whether it should take it to its logical end or otherwise, Prakash told reporters in Bangalore.

This happened a day after JDS supremo HD Deve Gowda formally anointed his son Kumaraswamy as the JDS Legislature Party Leader.

Ending his public posture of estrangement with his son, Gowda had on Monday formally announced that Kumaraswamy would be the "leader of the MLAs".

Prakash said the suspension issue was an "internal matter" of JDS and if the suspended MLAs gave an explanation either individually or collectively, the disciplinary action committee would look into it.

He also defended Kumaraswamy joining hands with BJP, saying terms like "secularism" and "communalism" could not be looked at in a "simplistic way".

Decisions had to be viewed in changed context and circumstances in which they were taken.

By creating "artificial labels like communalism and secularism", the Congress had taken advantage of the situation to remain in power for decades, he said.

Congress spoke of secularism but had joined hands with the Muslim League.

Similarly, he said, communists did not hesitate to be with former Kerala Chief Minister Karunakaran who was known for his "religious proclivities."