TINA factor makes JD(S) in Kerala search for ways to sever ties with Deve Gowda & Co

According to party sources South First spoke to, parleys are on within the organisation regarding a possible merger with Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party (SP). A section of leaders is of the view that the SP has inherited the Janata Parivar legacy, and is known for its anti-BJP stand.

Another option is to return to Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United), which the current leaders left after the former’s alliance with the BJP in 2017. The leaders then opted to join the JD(S).

The sources said the JD(S)’s possibility of merging with the Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) is bleak because of the Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD)’s recent merger with the Bihar party. The LJD leaders in Kerala would not be open to welcoming the JD(S).

Also read: Vijayan slams Deve Gowda’s claim that he backed JD(S)-NDA tie-up

Call for forming a Kerala Janata party

Meanwhile, a section of party leaders is advocating the formation of a Kerala-based Janata Party, which would have no ideological disagreements with the LDF, particularly its primary constituent, the CPI(M).

K Krishnankutty, Janata Dal (Secular) minister in the Pinarayi Vijayan Cabinet. (Supplied)

The likelihood of the national leadership, including Gowda and Kumaraswamy, utilising the anti-defection statute against the party’s two MLAs in the state —  Electricity Minister K Krishnanakutty and party state president Mathew T Thomas — has made the state leadership move cautiously.

According to constitutional and legal experts, the party symbol was assigned to Krishnankutty and Thomas in the last election based on letters issued by Gowda, the national president.

As a result, switching loyalties to another party before the end of the present Assembly would be impossible for the two MLAs.

Resigning from the posts and facing a byelection would be a risky affair, considering the present political climate in the state.

When contacted, Krishnankutty told South First that the state unit had decided to stand alone and also explore the possibilities of merging with a like-minded national party.

He and Thomas have already met with the party leadership in Karnataka and told them an alliance with the BJP was unacceptable.

The minister further stated that the state unit voiced serious objections to Gowda’s remark claiming Vijayan’s consent for the party’s entry into the NDA as a constituent.

Krishnankutty did not comment when asked how he and Thomas could form an independent party without being disqualified under the anti-defection law.

“We informed Gowda that we do not wish to continue and will remain independent,” he said.

Also read: Deve Gowda defends JD(S) move to join BJP-led NDA

JD(S) meet to discuss future plans

A State Committee meeting slated for 27 October in Ernakulam would decide the party’s future course.

“We shall decide our future course of action there, but we will not enter into any alliance with the BJP. We are an integral part of the LDF,” Krishnankutty stated.

Meanwhile, JD(S) leaders outside Kerala, including ousted party chief CM Ibrahim, who are opposed to the BJP alliance, are in touch with their Kerala counterparts.

The state unit’s earlier plan was to remain a separate bloc within the JD(S), notwithstanding its disapproval of Gowda and his son’s pro-BJP stance.

Initially, the CPI(M) agreed to this position because there would be fewer possibilities of reclaiming the two seats in a byelection.

However, in light of Gowda and Kumaraswamy’s contentious utterances, the CPI(M) gave the junior LDF partner an ultimatum to cut relations and look for alternatives.

With the Congress-led UDF Opposition accusing the CPI(M) of not breaking links with the JD(S) the party has been finding it tough to continue the arrangement with the Krishnankutty faction.

Gowda and Kumaraswamy’s statements regarding the Kerala situation further infuriated the CPI(M). Kumaraswamy had praised Vijayan for allowing the JD(S) in Kerala to remain a part of the LDF.

“The situation in Kerala is different from that of Karnataka. Our problem is limited to our party. We do not wish to discuss it with the Kerala chief minister,” he said. The statement embarrassed the CPI(M).

Meanwhile, the UDF intensified its campaign in Kerala, alleging an undercurrent between the ruling CPI(M) and the BJP through the JD(S).

Opposition leader VD Satheesan told South First that Vijayan has long desired an understanding with the BJP to keep the central agency investigations at bay.