Janata Dal-Secular president and former prime minister H D Dewa Gowda has dissolved the Kerala committee of the party led by veteran leader and former Member of Parliament M P Veerendrakumar.
While Veerendrakumar alleged that Gowda has dissolved the state committee in accordance with the wishes of Kerala Communist Party of India-Marxist secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, Gowda claimed that he had never even met Vijayan.
Mathrubhumi, Kerala's most respected daily, is owned by Veerendrakumar. The paper has been carrying out scathing attacks on Vijayan after he was named in the SNC-Lavalin scandal.
Vijayan and his close aides believe that Veerendrakumar is trying to defame him and extending support to Kerala Chief Minister Achuthanandan.
The decision to dissolve the Janata Dal-S in the state is bound to cause a split in the party. The Veerendrakumar faction of the party, which has three members of the legislative assembly, is planning to join the Congress-led United Democratic Front in the state.
Veerendrakumar, who has been a loyal ally of the Left Democratic Front, was unceremoniously denied the Kozhikode Lok Sabha seat by the CPI-M.
This led to the Janata Dal-S resigning from all the posts given by the ruling Left Democratic Front.