'Most of JD(S) National Executive members with Gowda: G'SEC(JD(S)

Mysore, Nov 30 (UNI) Janata Dal (Secular) General Secretary Kanwar D Ali today clarified that all the party National Executive members were with party President H D Deve Gowda and denied reports that Mr Gowda would be removed from the post shortly.

Speaking to newspersons here, he said that out of 75 National Executive members, 70 were with Mr Gowda and 22 State bodies have extended their support to him. Only three members have opposed him and it would not be possible to remove Mr Gowda from the post.

Mr Ali said a National Executive committee meeting of the party would be held in New Delhi soon to decide the future course of action against those indulging in ''anti-party'' activities.

He said former Deputy Chief Minister and Congress candidate for Chamundeswari constituency Siddaramaiah has also not been removed from the party, but only suspended along with seven other MLAs. The party would mull the future of the seven MLAs, still claiming that they were in the JD(S) in front of the Speaker. This statement was made by those who wanted to create confusion among the people on the eve of the byelection to Chamundeswari Assembly constituency.

Senior JD(S) leaders P G R Sindhia, Surendra Mohan and Veerendra Kumar had released a statement in New Delhi last week, stating that the party National Executive would meet by the end of December to expel Mr Gowda from the President's post for aligning with the ''communal'' BJP in Karnataka and elect a new party President.

Mr Gowda had retorted that as the party president he had acted as per the constitution of the party and no body could remove him from the post. He had alleged that the three senior leaders were working as Congress agents.

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