JD-S Kerala unit to seek disqualification of 3 legislators

KOCHI - The breakaway faction of the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) in Kerala has decided to ask the speaker of the assembly K. Radhakrishnan to disqualify three legislators who quit and formed a new party, Mathew T. Thomas, the new party chief, said Monday.

Addressing reporters here after taking over as the president, Thomas said they will ask the speaker to disqualify the three legislators who were elected on their party ticket but have since formed a new party.

“We will give the letter to the speaker next week,” Thomas told IANS.

The three legislators are M.V. Sreyams Kumar, M.K. Premnath and K.P. Mohanan.

Thomas, who was transport minister in the V.S. Achuthanandan government, quit as minister in March last year after his party was not given the Kozhikode Lok Sabha seat.

The erstwhile JD-S had five legislators and was led by former Lok Sabha member and media baron M.P. Veerendra Kumar.

While Kumar decided to walk out of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) alliance, a section of the party led by Thomas and Jose Thettayil, the present transport minister, decided to remain with the LDF.

In September last year, Kumar’s faction was included as a full fledged ally of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF). In August this year, Kumar floated a new party Socialist Janata Democratic.

The JD-S Monday decided that they want the three legislators, including Kumar’s son M.V. Sreyams Kumar, to be disqualified.