Am still JD(S) Karnataka prez, will move court, says suspended leader C M Ibrahim

Bengaluru: Suspended JD(S) leader C M Ibrahim claimed on Monday that he is still the party's Karnataka president and whether former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda will remain its national president will be known on December 9. Ibrahim said he will be moving to court seeking a stay of his suspension from the party and will also be writing to the Election Commission in this regard.

Ibrahim was on November 17 suspended from the JD(S) for alleged anti-party activities.

Gowda earlier had replaced Ibrahim as the party state president on October 19 and appointed his son and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy in his place.

"I'm still the state president of JD(S) even now. If he (Gowda) is national president, will be known on December 9...where will he (Gowda) remain as national president, if national council members and state presidents remove him?," Ibrahim said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said, "I still appeal to Deve Gowda -- you are 90, don't do it (go with BJP) -- for the sake of your son. Don't sacrifice the principles you stood by for your entire life. Even when Ramvilas Paswan and Sharad Yadav went away, you stood by your ideology, and Janata Dal Secular came into existence (after the split of Janata Dal in 1999)." A meeting of JD(S) leaders from various states held in Thiruvananthapuram last week, decided to hold a national plenary session of the party at Bengaluru on December 9 to formally reject the decision of Gowda to join the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.

Party national vice-president C K Nanu had said unless Gowda revokes the decision to join the NDA, the party's plenary would be held on December 9 to formally reject the decision, and go ahead with further actions against Gowda for taking a unilateral decision.

Responding to his suspension from the party by Gowda, Ibrahim said, "What madness is this? Is he himself in the party? Who is with him? A National Council meeting happened, 11 party state presidents had come for the meeting, they (Gowda and others) are in a panic. Ask them to call at least a state executive meeting. They are meeting in either resorts or a home or hotel with eight to ten people."

The meeting was called by Nanu, he said. "He (Gowda) wrote to them not to call a meeting, but the meeting was called...where they decided to give time to Gowda and others till December 9; if they don't change their decision (to join NDA) we will take our further step. I was also part of the meeting."

Stating that he wasn't served any notice or letter before suspending him from the party, Ibrahim, responding to a question, said: "Is it his (Gowda) home? Am I his servant? He can do that to Kumaraswamy or anyone else he has employed....He can't do it to me. I'm moving to court and seeking a stay. I'm also writing to the Election Commission. I'm waiting for the December 9 meeting." Ibrahim had raised a banner of revolt against the JD(S) leadership, following its decision to join the NDA.

A former union minister, Ibrahim, had earlier even claimed that his faction is the original JD(S) for being "secular" and that, being the state president, he could take a decision about the outfit in Karnataka.