Date:03/12/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/12/03/stories/2006120304570800.htm

National

"Party constitution has provision to expel Gowda"

Staff Reporter

MYSORE: Leader of Janata Dal (Secular) Parliamentary Party M.P. Veerendra Kumar and former Karnataka Minister, P.G. Sindia, said here on Saturday that the process of expelling the former Prime Minister, H.D. Deve Gowda, from the party, had begun and that it would culminate in the executive committee meeting scheduled in Thiruvananthapuram for December-end.

Addressing a press conference here, he said that, Clause 4 of Article 21 of the party's constitution empower executive committee to expel "anybody" who "breached the fundamental principles of the party, especially those compromised on secular values."

Citing the expulsion of Sharad Yadav from the party for having joined hands with the NDA, Mr. Kumar said that an 11-member committee dismissed Mr. Yadav in a meeting in Bangalore on November 13, 2005 and made Mr. Gowda the party president.

When H.D. Kumaraswamy struck a deal with Bharatiya Janata Party to form the JD (S)-BJP coalition Government, the national executive headed by Mr. Gowda, suspended 40 MLAs. The executive meeting also ratified the suspension and directed the disciplinary committee to initiate the process of further action, he claimed.

By fielding a joint candidate of JD (S) and BJP in the byelection to the Chamundeshwari Assembly constituency, Mr. Gowda violated the basic principles of the party. In view of this, the national executive had every right under the party constitution to expel him, he asserted.