'It Creates Rift Between Communities, Caste': Karnataka JDS VP Resigns Over Party's Alliance With BJP

Vice President of the Karnataka Unit of the JD(S), Syed Shafiulla Saheb has resigned from his post after the party formed an alliance with the BJP.

Syed Shafiulla Saheb, Karnataka JD(S) Vice Presidnet who resgined from party. ( Image Source :X (@ANI) )

Syed Shafiulla Saheb, Karnataka unit president of Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S), on Saturday, resigned from the party over the alliance between his party and the BJP. Saheb was not happy over his party's decision to join hands with the Bharatiya Janta Party and said it was difficult to adjust with those who "propagate" hate. According to IANS, he also held meetings with other Muslim leaders of the party regarding the "future course of action".

Notably, on Friday, former Karnataka CM and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi and formally announced the party's inclusion in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) bloc. BJP president JP Nadda and Goa CM Pramod Sawant were also present at the meeting. 

Talking about his resignation, he said that JD(S) has always been a secular party and if his party gets in coalition with the one that creates problems between communities, castes and "preaches" hatred, he and secular people will oppose it.

"I was with the party for the past 30 years. Our party stand on secular credentials, and we have always propagated the principles of Secularism to the voters, and to the general public. Now if my party is joining hands with a party which creates a rift between the communities and caste,...which preaches and propagates and acts on communal agenda, we the secular leaders oppose it," he said.

#WATCH | Bengaluru: On his resignation from the party, JDS Karnataka Vice President Syed Shafiulla Saheb says, "I was with the party for the past 30 years. Our party stand on secular credentials, and we have always propagated the principles of Secularism to the voters, and to the… pic.twitter.com/S2okhgTmA0

— ANI (@ANI) September 24, 2023

The leader further added that even for survival, some might be able to go with the change, but for him "it is difficult to adjust with that kind of mentality and propagation of heat". IANS cited sources that the JD-S holds a "considerable influence" over the Muslim community in the state.

In his resignation letter to C.M. Ibrahim, the President of the JD-S Karnataka Unit and the former PM H.D. Deve Gowda, the National President of JD-S, Shafiulla said, "I would like to state that I have worked hard and served the party in order to serve the society and the community only because our party believed and was standing on the secular credentials, except when our leader (H.D.) Kumaraswamy had earlier joined hands with BJP to form the government in the state.

"I would also like to mention that I had opted to stay outside the party for the period during which our state unit of the party had joined with the BJP to form the state government. Since the party's senior leaders are now deciding to join hands with the BJP, I am left with no option but to tender my resignation from the party's Senior Vice President's Office of the state and also my Primary Membership of the party," he added, as quoted by IANS.

The agency stated that many state office-bearers are likely to tender their resignation soon. Sources told the agency that the alliance has come as a shocker to the Muslim community, with experts saying the JD-S is likely to lose its support base.