Disgruntled Kerala Janata Dal (United) chairman MP Veerendra Kumar resigned from the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
The 80-year-old, also a Kerala media baron, submitted his resignation to Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday morning, Arun Kumar Shrivastava, also a rebel JD(U) leader, told IANS.
After submitting his resignation, Veerendra Kumar announced at a press meet in Delhi that he can’t agree with Sangh Parivar politics and that the state unit of the JD(U) was against it.
“True that I was a nominee of the United Democratic Front to the Rajya Sabha. But in front of the Election Commission and in the Rajya Sabha I represent Nitish Kumar’s party, which is with the Sangh Parivar. I don’t want to be a liability for the UDF. The UDF doesn’t need to bear me, to answer for me simply because they gave me a Rajya Sabha seat. None of the UDF leaders, be it Oommen Chandy, Ramesh Chennithala or Kunhalikutty, are answerable for me for the decisions taken by Nitish Kumar and his party,” he said.
“I had told the UDF that I will quit. Now they are freed from bearing me, I am giving them back the membership they gave me,” he added.
Veerendra Kumar said that at present the members of the state unit of the JD(U) do not have a party.
“I have asked the state leaders and district office bearers of the party while discussing my decision to quit, to allow me to act as per my conscience. First let us decide on the party we can launch; which coalition we will join we will decide after that,” he said.
On November 29 Veerendra Kumar had announced that he would quit as MP as he didn’t want to continue working with Nitish Kumar even for one second.
After announcing the decision to quit the MP post, Veerendra Kumar had told TNM that the JD(U) was in a political crisis.
“The rift began from the time the JD(U) joined the BJP-led NDA. In supporting the candidate for the presidential election Nitish Kumar took the decision unilaterally. I don’t want to continue as the MP of his party. The Election Commission has given the symbol of the JD(U) to Nitish Kumar. The other factions of the party can’t claim the symbol now,” he had said.
The state unit of JD(U) has been an ally of the Congress-led UDF, which forms the opposition in Kerala.
With inputs from IANS