Gowda sacks Karnataka unit president Ibrahim, appoints Kumaraswamy

Former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) patriarch H D Deve Gowda on Thursday removed the party's Karnataka unit president C M Ibrahim, who had raised a banner of revolt against forming an alliance with the BJP, by dissolving the state working committee.

Gowda also appointed his son and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy as the ad-hoc president of the party's state unit.

Addressing a press conference, Gowda said, Ibrahim has been removed as per the party constitution. I have removed him, and the new president H D Kumaraswamy has been appointed.

Kumaraswamy, a two-time Karnataka chief minister, is also the party's legislative unit president.

Gowda's order came after Ibrahim revolted against the party's decision to align with the BJP for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

In this regard, Ibrahim had held a meeting with "like-minded" people of the JD(S) on October 16 and announced that the party led by him was the original one. He also announced the formation of a core committee that would submit a memorandum to the party supremo that the JD(S) should not go with the BJP.

The former PM said that all the state units of the JD(S) including Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Kerala had given their consent to go with the BJP.

In Kerala we are part of the government and our MLA is a minister there. These units understood the situation that made us to go with the BJP and supported our move. Our minister in the Left party's government (K Krishnankutty) in Kerala has given their consent to us, Gowda said.

Kerala's Left Party Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has given the full concurrence to move forward in Karnataka with the BJP to save the party. This is the position, Gowda claimed.

He also claimed that many Muslim leaders in the JD(S) have also supported the party's decision to go with the BJP.