Controversy Erupts Over BJP-JDS Billboard Featuring Kerala Leaders in Bengaluru

A BJP-JDS billboard in Bengaluru has images of two prominent Janata Dal Secular politicians from Kerala on it; one of them is a minister in the Left administration. This has raised questions about the poster's veracity.

The Kerala chapter of the JDS, a partner of the CPM-led LDF, is preparing to file a case with the state police chief against individuals who created and distributed the poster, which surfaced and made headlines in Malayalam media a day ago.

The matter first surfaced on Saturday, when reports regarding the strange incident were published by prominent Malayalam news outlets. They drew attention to the fact that state JDS president Mathew T. Thomas and Kerala energy minister K. Krishnankutty were featured on NDA posters in Bengaluru.

The poster was associated with an NDA convention for Dr. C.N. Manjunath, the candidate for Bengaluru Rural, that took place in Bengaluru on March 27. He is H.D. Deve Gowda's son-in-law, the former prime minister.

But the LDF was very relieved when the original poster surfaced, one without the leaders of the Kerala JDS.

Reporters were informed on Sunday by Krishnankutty that the Kerala JDS section has continued to keep its own identity after the parent organization under Gowda became a part of the NDA in September 2023.

The Kerala JDS unit remained a member of the LDF, the minister said, adding, "We are lodging a police complaint against the use of a fake poster with our pictures."

Despite not agreeing with the JDS leadership's choice to join the NDA, Thomas and Krishnankutty are still part of the national executive of the party.

Gowda claimed in October 2023 that he had endorsed the JDS-BJP partnership in Karnataka and other places, which left Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in a difficult situation.

However, Vijayan had attacked Gowda, accusing him of "lying to cook up a logic for his political somersault" by allying with the BJP in spite of his declared socialist stance.