The former Janata Dal (Secular) State president C.M. Ibrahim and party national vice-president C.K. Nanu have been expelled from the party for alleged anti-party activities. A decision on their ouster was taken unanimously at the JD(S) national executive committee meeting held here on Saturday.
Addressing presspersons after the meeting, party supremo and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda said the decision was taken as the image and the interests of the party were taking a beating.
‘Spreading slander’
“Mr. Ibrahim opposed the decision taken in his presence for the benefit of the party and has been spreading slander against the party and party leaders. Due to this, the image of the party has been affected. We convened the national executive to decide on action to be taken against Ibrahim and Nanu. Members, who attended the meeting from across the country, unanimously endorsed our decision to expel the two,” Mr. Gowda said.
At the executive committee meeting, Mandya district JD(S) president D. Ramesh and West Bengal JD(S) unit president Puneeth Kumar Singh, moved the resolution on the expulsion of Mr. Ibrahim and Mr. Nanu from the party. “The resolutions presented by these two were unanimously accepted by the executive that was attended by leaders from across the country,” he said.
Ibrahim’s convention
The action comes a day after Mr. Ibrahim, announced convening a national-level JD(S) convention in Bengaluru on December 11. Claiming that he continues to be the State JD(S) president, Mr. Ibrahim had said that party leaders from across the country would attend the convention. He had raised a banner of revolt against the party leadership for their decision to form an alliance with the BJP in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections.
On November 17, Mr. Ibrahim was suspended from the party for alleged anti-party activities. Mr. Gowda had cited the “contradictory statements” issued by Mr. Ibrahim regarding the party’s alliance with the BJP, “despite being part of the earlier discussions related to it”, as the reason.
Following Mr. Ibrahim’s rebellion, the JD(S) had in October dissolved the party’s State executive committee and Mr. Gowda appointed his son and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy as the party’s ad hoc president in place of Mr. Ibrahim.
