Trouble Brewing Within The JD(S)? It's State Chief C M Ibrahim Versus Kumaraswamy Out In The Open

Ruling out any possibility of an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Karnataka Janata Dal (Secular) president C M Ibrahim has stoked a controversy in the media.

He said that the decision to ally with the BJP was H D Kumaraswamy's and not the party's decision. While stating that he is planning to speak to 'like-minded' legislators from the JD(S), he added that there is a possibility of them backing the Congress, if they want to.

He has challenged former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy to sack him from the post of the state president.

According to senior journalist D P Satish, Ibrahim has maintained that he is the state president and that the JD(S) is the 'official party'.

Ibrahim has accused H D Kumaraswamy of 'forcing his ailing father' (H D Deve Gowda) to back his decision of allying with the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election. Ibrahim is reportedly planning to meet all the 19 JD(S) MLAs to discuss the current crisis.

In an interview clip, Ibrahim has stated "we will see how many MLAs go with him and go with me". According to Ibrahim, the decision to join either the I.N.D.I Alliance or the NDA solely rests with the JD(S) MLAs.

Meanwhile, the BJP has declined to comment on the issue. However, state spokesperson for the BJP, Prakash S, has stated that the JD(S) has a national president, who will take a call on this matter, and that it is ultimately left to the JD(S) to handle this crisis.

A few days ago, Ibrahim had stated that he has 'kept his options open'. The alliance between the BJP and the JD(S) also saw some resignations from leaders belonging to a minority community.