Weeks after the Janata Dal (Secular) announced its decision to support the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, discontent is brewing with the party, especially among the minorities who see it as a betrayal. After JD(S) state vice-president Syed Shafiulla Saheb, and U.T. Farzana Ashraf resigned from their posts in protest (against the alliance), the big jolt came from state party president C.M. Ibrahim.
The former minister, who convened a meeting of "like-minded" leaders and party workers on Monday, declared that the party would support the Congress (INDIA bloc) and that he would urge JD(S) national president H.D. Devegowda to "reconsider" the party decision to support the NDA. However the JDLP leader H.D. Kumaraswamy who negotiated the JD(S)-BJP alliance with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J.P. Nadda on September 22, is irked by Ibrahim's remarks that he was leading the "original JD(S)" as the president and his decision was binding on the party.
When reporters pointed out that the party president had taken a stand contrary to what Devegowda and Kumaraswamy had decided on the alliance, Ibrahim shot back saying, "I am the original JD(S). The party does not belong to one family. I cannot be removed as the president unless two-thirds of the members vote against me."
Ibrahim who dared Kumaraswamy to sack him reminded the latter that he had won Channapatna due to support from Muslim voters and was betrayed by his own people (Vokkaligas) who chose to support the Congress and D.K. Shivakumar, a fellow Vokkaliga.
Reiterating that the minorities felt let down by the party leaders choosing to support the BJP, Ibrahim assured that he would call a core committee meeting to resolve the issue. "JD(S) is a secular party and will never join hands with the BJP," claimed Ibrahim hinting that the party could split. He asked reporters to "wait and watch" the developments.
The former civil aviation minister who quit the JD(S) in 2006 along with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to join the Congress, had quit the Congress on being denied the post of the Leader of Opposition in the Upper House, after the party chose B.K. Hariprasad (considered close to the DKS faction) for the post.
A miffed Ibrahim quit the party in March 2022 and joined the JD(S) and was handed over the party president's post by the party leadership hoping to consolidate the minorities' votes in the May 2023 elections. Ibrahim tendered his resignation to the party chief's post after the JD(S) won only 19 out of the 224 seats in the polls.
According to party sources, the resignation was not accepted. This time, Ibrahim launched a verbal attack on Kumaraswamy for "sidelining" him during the alliance talk held in Delhi. Kumaraswamy sarcastically remarked that Ibrahim should prove that his party was the "original JD(S)" by displaying a board.
Meanwhile, JD(S) leaders came down heavily on Ibrahim saying he had crossed his limits.
"None of the 19 JD(S) MLAs or the eight MLCs attended the meeting called by Ibrahim. Some minority leaders and JD(U) leader Mahima Patel attended the meeting. But no leader has supported Ibrahim's view. He is clearly upset over Kumaraswamy not taking him to Delhi to discuss the alliance. Moreover, the JD(S) party constitution does not give powers to the state president to unilaterally take any decision without approval from the national president. All issues must be discussed at the state executive," said MLC K.A. Thippeswamy.
Another JD(S) veteran G.T. Devegowda dismissed Ibrahim's claim that Kumaraswamy had not taken consent from party MLAs and leaders. "Ibrahim was present during the meetings where it was unanimously decided to support the NDA (BJP).
Vokkaliga leader and BJP MLA R. Ashok slammed Ibrahim for targeting Devegowda and said the whole world believed JD(S) to be Devegowda and vice versa and no one could hijack the party.
It may be recalled that after Kumaraswamy had announced the BJP-JD(S) alliance, former Devegowda had defended his party's decision to forge an alliance with the saffron party saying, "JDS is not an opportunistic party as being alleged by the Congress party.”
“This is the pain and desperation to save a regional party for which I toiled hard for 40 years ever since Morarji (Desai) gave me the reins of the party. It is not greed. I have taken the decision (on alliance) to save the party,” Devegowda had said in a press meet in Bengaluru, where he also questioned the secular credentials of the Congress party.
While the party suspects a ploy by the Congress party to consolidate the minorities' votes ahead of the polls by highlighting the rift and projecting the regional party as compromising on its secular credentials, Devegowda has chosen to tread with caution and has assured that he would convene a meeting and provide all answers in a day or two.