The CPI-M has warned the Janata Dal-Secular (JDS) Kerala unit that it cannot be in the LDF after the national leadership of the party joined the BJP-led NDA.
The Left party said that the parties with any links with the BJP have no place in the LDF and asked the Kerala unit of the JDS to resolve the issue immediately.
The CPI-M has given the ultimatum to the JDS Kerala unit after the Congress-led Opposition UDF alleged that Kerala is ruled by the NDA-LDF coalition government.
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The JDS Kerala unit has landed in a tight spot after the national leadership of the Karnataka-based party joined the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
JDS state president Mathew T Thomas has stated that the Kerala unit of the party will never be a part of the NDA. As the CPI-M has issued an ultimatum to the party, JDS state leaders have initiated action to solve the crisis.
The state committee of JDS Kerala unit will be meeting on 7 October to take a decision on the issue. JDS national President HD Deve Gowda has clarified that the state leadership can take a decision independently on whether to stand with the NDA alliance or not.
This puts the leadership of the Kerala unit of the party in a difficult situation. If they decide to remain a separate group, they should ensure that such a decision would not attract the provisions of anti-defection law.
Leader of the opposition VD Satheesan said that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the CPI-M leadership are in a state of disarray and cannot do anything against the JDS when the cases are being investigated by the Central agency.
Satheesan said that even though the JDS has officially announced that it has joined the BJP-led NDA front, the representative of the JDS is still a minister in the Pinarayi Vijayan Cabinet.
He asked the Chief Minister and the CPI-M leadership to clarify under what conditions the JDS, an ally of the NDA, is in the Pinarayi Vijayan Cabinet.