Gadkari says he confronted prominent oppn leader over Savarkar
Nagpur: Union minister Nitin Gadkari said on Saturday that he is hurt when someone bad-mouths Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, and he once confronted a "big" leader of the opposition and asked him to study Savarkar before criticizing him.
While Gadkari did not name anyone, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had recently taken swipes at Savarkar, the freedom fighter-turned Hindutva ideologue.
Speaking at a felicitation function of senior RSS worker Arvind Khandekar here, Gadkari said there was a time when people did not have favourable opinion of RSS and (its student wing) Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad, but Sangh workers, through their hard work, changed the perception.
Dialogue with one's opponents is necessary to change negative perceptions, he said.
"I attendedSavarkar Sahitya Sammellan (a literary meet focusing on Savarkar's writings) in Delhi a few days ago.
We all are very proud of Savarkar and when someone says anything bad about him, I feel extremely hurt.
"I once met a big political leader who had said something bad about Savarkar. I told him do whatever you wish as a politician, but don't say such things about Savarkar," Gadkari said.
"I asked him to study the RSS and Savarkar. He asked me, are you an RSS worker, I said yes, so he said `you are good'.
"I said if I am good then the RSS is also good, Savarkar is also good. And if Savarkar and RSS are bad then I too am not good. I asked him to study first, then oppose," the senior BJP leader said.
"If we meet our opponents personally and tell them the truth properly then we will be able to change their hearts," the Union minister added.
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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.
