The Kerala unit of Janata Dal (Secular) rejected the decision of national leadership to join the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Friday. An ally of the Left in Kerala, JD(S) members in the state said that the decision to join the saffron party was contrary to the political resolution adopted by the party. The workers also alleged that the party supreme HD Deve Gowda's decision was not completely accepted by the entire national leadership.
After the party leadership meeting in Kochi, Kerala unit JD(S) President and MLA Mathew T Thomas on Friday said, "The entire party leadership did not endorse the decision to align with the NDA. The decision to join the NDA fold was solely made by National President Deve Gowda and his son former Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy."
This decision was taken by deviating from the political resolution adopted by the national plenum of the party, he said as per PTI.
Thomas stated that the state unit will stand by the resolution it passed on October 7 criticising the national leadership's decision. According to Thomas, a former Kerala minister, neither the national executive committee nor the national committee have officially sanctioned such a move.
Opposing Deve Gowda, he said, by rejecting the approved political resolution Deve Gowda effectively rendered himself a "non-national president" of the party.
Highlighting the ideological divide, Thomas stated that the BJP and its allies continue to be political opponents of the JD(S), and reaffirmed the Kerala unit's allegiance to the party's founding values.
Stating that several state units are in dissent, he signaled a broader discord within the party due to the central leadership's decision.
"We are witnessing similar movements in various state units, including Kerala," Thomas added.