A splinter group of Janata Dal (Secular) in north Kerala that goes by the name of JD(S) Kerala will merge with the the Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD) at a function in Kozhikode on Sunday.
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The development comes when the JD(S) has been creating a political confusion over the merger of the party with the LJD.
The breakaway faction leaders, including its vice president Kanjikkavu Kunhikrishnan and general secretary Unni Modakkaloor, said they had decided to go ahead with the merger in protest against the anti-democratic and anti-secular stance of the Central committee of the party led by former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda.
The unification will be officially held at the Indoor Stadium here.
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LJD State president M.V. Shreyams Kumar, MP; district president Manayath Chandran, former MLA M.K. Premnath and others will take part in the function.
LJD State secretary general Sheikh P. Haris said the merger proposal of the JD(S) was a ploy to sabotage the seat-sharing process in the Left Democratic Front (LDF) for the Assembly polls. The JD(S) was in alliance with the BJP in Karnataka Legislative Council. So a merger would not be possible unless that party comes out publicly on its political position with the BJP, Mr. Haris said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Shreyams Kumar said the hurdle to the merger was the current political inclination of the JD(S) towards the BJP. The LJD was not opposed to a merger with the JD(S). However, that party had made a U-turn at every opportunity in Karnataka. It also did not take a specify stand on the farmers’ protests as well, he said.