Deve Gowda to be removed from Party's President post

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 21 (UNI) Janata Dal (Secular) Leader M P Veerendrakumar today announced that Party President H D Deve Gowda will be removed from the post at the JD(S) National Council Meeting scheduled on December 23 as he has no 'moral right' to continue after aligning with the BJP.

At a hurriedly convened press conference here after Mr Gowda dissolved the party's Kerala unit and appointed Mr Neelalohita Dasan Nadar as its chief in his place, Mr Veerendrakumar said they had not recognised Mr Gowda as president of the party.

''We cannot accept him as our president politically and morally.'' He claimed that majority of the executive committee members of the party would take part in the national executive committee meeting tomorrow and the national council meeting on the next day.

He said a new president would be elected at the meeting. A decision to dissolve party's Karnataka unit would also be taken at the meeting.

''We don't consider it as a split. Ours is the original JD(S) and we will seek the party symbol from the Election Commission,'' he added.

He pointed out that though they had urged Mr Gowda in August to convene the national executive to discuss the situation arising out of him joining hands with the BJP in Karnataka, no such meeting took place.

''It is in this circumstance that we decided to convene the meeting.'' Mr Veerendrakumar said the JD(S) could not compromise its stand on the issue of secularism.

He said Mr Neelalohithadasan Nadar was suspended from the party by Mr Gowda himself for his conviction in two sexual harassment cases.

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