Bengaluru: Excerising his powers as State president of Janata Dal Secular (JDS), former Union Minister C.M. Ibrahim on Monday stated to have rejected his party’s alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the Lok Sabha polls in 2024 and said that a meeting of like-minded leaders passed a resolution to reject alliance with BJP is the decision of the party and not that of a family (former Prime Minister H.D. Devegowda).
It may be recalled here that JDS leader and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy had met BJP Central leaders in New Delhi and sealed a pact with the BJP for the Lok Sabha polls in 2024.
Speaking to media persons in Bengaluru after a meeting to elicit the opinion of party leaders, Ibrahim stated to form a core-committee which would be authorized to meet national president of JDS and former Prime Minister H.D. Devegowda and to urge him not to approve the alliance with BJP.
The meeting also decided to extend support to India National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A.) comprising Congress party, Janata Dal United, Shiv Sena, Aam Aadmi Party among others to defeat BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
After the alliance with BJP was announced by JDS leader and former Chief Minister, Ibrahim said State units of JDS in Kerala, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu have dissociated themselves from the party and similar situation should not arise in Karnataka as well.
To a query whether he would expel party leader H.D. Kumaraswamy, son of H.D. Devegowda, from JDS, Ibrahim said “If Kumaraswamy wishes to go with BJP let him go” and stated to have been in contact with the 19 JDS MLAs and also heads of District Units in Karnataka.
He, however, did not wish to reveal the names of the MLAs in contact with him and stated that 19 MLAs of JDS in Karnataka would arrive at a suitable decision in coming days.
At the meeting, he said leaders have expressed support to him and asked him to embark upon a State tour and to meet former Prime Minister H.D. Devegowda who is also the national president of JDS and to convey to him the proceedings of the meeting.
Earlier at the meeting, Ibrahim said that he had told Kumaraswamy not to forge alliance with BJP and he was kept in the dark before forging an alliance with BJP by Kumaraswamy.
"There was no resolution passed in JDS to forge alliance with the BJP," said Ibrahim.
