Thursday, September 29 2005 15:35 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Bangalore: Suspended Janata Dal-Secular (JDS) National Vice President C M Ibrahim today (Sept 29, 2005) joined the former deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in questioning the 'validity' of the party's National Executive meeting which ratified their suspension yesterday (Sept 28, 2005), saying it was 'unconstitutional'.

The National Executive held at New Delhi and Chaired by its supremo H D Devegowda 'is not in order as members of the committee were not invited', Ibrahim told reporters here.

He claimed that the National Executive comprised 60 members and only 22 including some non-members attended it.

Claiming that the group led by Siddaramaiah and himself was the 'real JDS', he said, the faction would communicate to the Election Commission that the party has failed to draft a constitution, indicating that the issue of who controlled the party affairs would reach the portals of the Commission.

Ibrahim ridiculed the Section 3A of the constitution being cited by Devegowda, under which he exercised his powers to suspend Siddaramaiah and him saying 'when there is no constitution, where did he get that section'.

He also questioned Gowda under which section he (Gowda) appointed his son H D Kumaraswamy as the Karnataka unit-working president.

The faction led by Siddaramaiah is holding the party's National Executive here tomorrow, which he claimed would be attended by delegates from Bihar and Kerala among others.

Ibrahim said Gowda has also been invited to tomorrow's (Sept 30, 2005) meeting to seek an explanation on his 'failure' to function as the party president.

They would also hold the party's plenary session during December, he said.

Siddaramaiah and others leaders would undertake a statewide tour to strengthen the party and inform the people about the developments in the party, he said.

Asked whether the JDS would suffer a split tomorrow, he said, "Our's is the real JD (Secular) and we don't call it as a split".

The JDS State Council Meeting held here on September 22 suspended Siddaramiah and Ibrahim for anti-party activities and the National Executive held on September 28 ratified the decision.