Thiruvananthapuram: Amid the political debate over the Janata Dal (Secular) national committee's decision to join hands with the BJP-led NDA, leaders of its Kerala unit visited the party patron and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda in Bengaluru and informed him that they would not support NDA.
JD (S) state president Mathew T Thomas said that Deve Gowda accepted the Kerala unit's decision. “We informed Deve Gowda that we won't join hands with BJP at any cost. He understood our emotions,” he said.
The Kerala unit of the party which is a major ally of LDF has come under fire after the national committee of the Karnataka-based party joined the NDA ahead of the general elections. The opposition even demanded the removal of electricity minister K Krishnankutty from the state cabinet and asked him to declare whether he was continuing in the cabinet as a representative of the BJP or not.
CPM also asked JD(S) to clarify its stance and asserted that no party with BJP links would be allowed to continue in the LDF.
BJP national president JP Nadda announced the official entry of JD(S) to NDA on September 22. JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy visited BJP leaders Amit Shah and Nadda declaring the party's support to NDA. Deve Gowda then said the national leadership took the decision to save the party.
