Another fake JD(S) release claims Ibrahim expelled

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: A fake JD(S) press release did the rounds on Wednesday, claiming that party state president CM Ibrahim had been expelled. The note bore the letterhead of JD(S) national president HD Deve Gowda and Ibrahim has decided to lodge an official complaint against whoever created it.

The development comes a day after another fake release bearing Ibrahim’s letterhead had declared that JD(S) legislature party leader HD Kumaraswamy and his son Nikhil had been expelled.

Neither Deve Gowda nor his son Kumaraswamy confirmed that Ibrahim had been removed from the party. Ibrahim on the other hand filed a complaint at the JC Nagar Police Station over the same.

“The letter has caused embarrassment to me and the party. The letter was stolen by some mischief makers and circulated online,” Ibrahim said.

The fake letters come in the backdrop of the war of words between Ibrahim and Kumaraswamy over JD(S) pre-poll alliance with the BJP for the Lok Sabha elections.

Ibrahim has publically disapproved of the tie-up and has been straying away from party meetings. The former union minister went so far as to say: “I’m the original Janata Dal as I’m its president. It is not possible for anyone to remove me.”

To this, Kumaraswamy had shot back with the sarcastic reply: “Fine, let him wear a board that says original.”

The JD(S) would hold a core committee in the coming days to decide on how to punish Inrahim for what they perceive to be anti-party activities. It appears that Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy have a hold on party MLA, albeit tenuous.

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and CM Siddaramaiah are reportedly trying to engineer the defection of JD(S) MLAs, some of whom have expressed public disapproval of the alliance with the BJP.

The lawmakers fear losing Muslim votes in their respective constituencies since their allies in the saffron party are perceived to be hostile to religious minorities.