Deve Gowda hints at not contesting Lok Sabha polls
New Delhi : Indicating that he may not contest the upcoming parliamentary election, former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda said Friday that he expects to be given sufficient time to deliver probably his last speech in Parliament next week when the House takes up discussion on the interim budget.
The 85-year-old JD(S) chief also expressed anguish that he was not given enough time to speak in Lok Sabha during the debate on motion of thanks to the President's address on February 7 despite a request made to Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.
Gowda said he would even request the Congress party to give some of its allotted time in the Lower House to him to complete his last speech.
"I am disappointed. I am not satisfied (with my speech on the President's address). Barely I had spoken for six minutes, the Speaker cautioned me to finish my speech. Still, I spoke for some more time but I was not satisfied," Gowda told reporters.
The JD(S) leader said that he had specially requested the Speaker to give him an opportunity to speak during the debate on the interim budget and motion of thanks on the President' Address as it might be his last speech in Parliament.
"I have never criticised anyone personally. I sought time to speak not to criticise anyone. I have governed the country for 320 days and people of this country do not know what I did. The sole intention was to share what I did when I was Prime Minister because I have may not come to Parliament again," he added.
Gowda, who led a coalition government for 10 months between 1996-97, hoped to get sufficient time on Monday to speak during the debate on the interim budget.
"I will request Congress leaders to give their time to me. Let's see if they will give," he said, adding that this could be his last speech in Parliament.
It may be noted that the former prime minister's grandsons are vying for party ticket to contest the Lok Sabha polls from Hassan, currently represented by him.
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Karnataka tanks hold strong water storage: Minister Boseraju
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister N S Boseraju on Tuesday said that minor irrigation tanks across the state are holding good water storage levels, with the 3,788 tanks under the department’s jurisdiction providing life-sustaining water to a large agricultural command area of approximately 4,45,009 hectares.
In a statement, the Minister for Minor Irrigation, Boseraju, said that according to the latest data released by the department, a vast majority of the 3,788 minor irrigation tanks in the state have maintained good water levels.
Detailing the storage status, the report said that even in peak summer, 165 tanks are full.
Additionally, 1,355 tanks have retained more than 51 per cent capacity, 1,143 tanks have water levels up to 50 per cent, and 959 tanks are at roughly 30 per cent storage capacity.
District-wise, Davanagere leads the state in water storage, with 27 tanks remaining full even during summer. Chikkamagaluru follows closely with 46 full tanks, indicating strong water retention.
Other top-performing districts include Hassan, Tumakuru, and Kolar.
Boseraju, who also holds the portfolio of Science and Technology, said 1,184 tanks are being actively filled through 145 tank-filling lift irrigation projects under the Minor Irrigation Department.
He attributed the strong water retention to good monsoon rainfall and effective water management strategies of the government.
“It is encouraging to see such a substantial volume of water stored across our minor irrigation tanks by the end of March, remaining largely intact even as summer progresses. The fact that 1,355 tanks are nearly full and 165 tanks are brimming is a testament to the success of our tank-filling programmes and rejuvenation initiatives,” he said.
“By ensuring a continuous flow of water to these tanks through lift irrigation projects across departments, as well as supplying treated and surface water to the Bayaluseeme districts, we have taken proactive measures to prevent them from drying out during the summer,” the minister said.
According to him, these data points confirm that efforts to build a water-secure Karnataka are yielding strong results at the grassroots level.
“This water wealth preserved in our tanks will bring direct benefits to lakhs of farmers across the 4,45,009-hectare command area,” he added.
