The Kerala unit of Janata Dal (Secular) is distancing itself from the national committee due to the latter's alliance with the BJP in Karnataka. On Friday, JD(S) national president H.D. Deve Gowda addressed media reports claiming that some people planned to hold separate meetings in Kerala, claiming loyalty to the central leadership. "I wish to categorically state that the party has not authorised any new person or persons in Kerala to convene any meeting under the banner of JD(S) and that if any such meeting is convened by anybody, it will be void not having the approval of JD(S) national committee," Mr. Gowda said in a press release. Meanwhile, the Indian Socialist Janata Dal (ISJD), a new political group formed to strengthen JD(S) in Kerala, is set to be launched on January 17. This move aims to give JD(S) a clear political identity in Kerala after the national leadership's alliance with the BJP in Karnataka, while the Kerala unit continues its association with the Left Democratic Front (LDF).