‘Gowda must advise HDK to stop temple runs, focus on drought relief’

Mysuru: Senior BJP leader V. Srinivasprasad regretted on Friday that although there was drought in the state, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy was making temple runs and staying in resorts. It was time that his father and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda advised him in the matter, he said, referring to Mr Kumarswamy's plan to spend the weekend at the Ibnii resort in Madikeri.

The former minister was speaking to reporters after participating in a function to felicitate noted publisher, T S Chayapathi on the occasion of his 75th birthday organised by the Hoysala Karnataka Sangha here.

Claiming that the Kundagol and Chincholi byelections would not y impact state politics, but make a difference in national politics, he said, "The Congress has become weak. People want a stable government at the Centre. The BJP will return to power with a bigger majority than in 2014 and Modi will become PM again," he declared.

Heaping praise on poet K.S. Nissar Ahmed, 84, who was present on the occasion, Mr Srinivasprasad said he deserved to be honoured with the "Rashtra Kavi" award..

Prof Nissar Ahmed himself was full of praise for former CM Siddaramaiah and appreciated Mr Srinivasprasad for objecting to the allegations of corruption made against the late former PM Rajiv Gandhi by Mr Modi at a recent Lucknow rally. "Rajiv did a lot of good work when he was PM,” he said.