Veteran Karnataka politician Chandre Gowda, who vacated LS seat for Indira Gandhi, no more
Chikkamagaluru (PTI): Veteran politician and former minister D B Chandre Gowda, who vacated his Lok Sabha seat for former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi that allowed her to stage a political comeback post Emergency in 1978, passed away at his residence in Daradahalli in Mudigere taluk in the district, during the early hours of Tuesday, due to age-related ailments.
The 87-year-old is survived by his wife and four daughters.
His mortal remains will be kept at Adyanthaya Rangamandira in Mudigere for his followers and well-wishers to pay homage till this evening, and the last rites is likely to be performed at his native Daradahalli on Wednesday, sources close to Gowda's family said.
Gowda, who had represented all the four Houses -- legislative assembly, council, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, was also part of various political parties such as -- Praja Socialist Party, Karnataka Kranti Ranga, Janata Party, Janata Dal, Congress and BJP.
He was in the limelight when he resigned as Lok Sabha member in 1978 to make way for former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to contest from the Chikkamagaluru Constituency, and worked for her victory.
Indira Gandhi, routed in the post-emergency general elections in 1977 and thrown out of office, had successfully contested Chikkamagaluru Lok Sabha by-election in 1978, which was considered a "turning point" for her. Her victory gave the Congress a much-needed boost at the time.
Stating that he was anguished by the passing away of Gowda, calling him a stalwart of public service, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his condolence message said, his extensive experience as MP, MLA, and Minister in Karnataka has left an indelible mark.
"His deep understanding of our Constitution and commitment to community service were noteworthy. My heartfelt condolences to his family and supporters. Om Shanti," the PM posted on "X".
Gowda, who was a lawyer, entered politics through Congress in 1971. He was Member of Parliament - Lok Sabha, thrice, and Rajya Sabha, once.
In 1971 and 1977, he contested elections to the Lok Sabha from Chikkamagaluru Parliamentary Constituency on a Congress ticket, and won.
After vacating the seat for Indira Gandhi, Gowda became the Member of the Legislative Council, from 1978 to 1983 representing Congress, and became a Minister in Devaraj Urs cabinet.
Later, with the change in political scenario, he quit Congress along with Urs to join Karnataka Kranti Ranga.
Gowda was a member of the legislative assembly for three terms, representing the Janata Party from Thirthahalli constituency twice, and once from Sringeri constituency on a Congress ticket, and went on to become Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister in the S M Krishna government.
He was a Rajya Sabha member in 1986, representing the Janata Party, which later became Janata Dal.
In 2009, he contested from Bangalore North Parliamentary Constituency and entered Lok Sabha on a BJP ticket.
Gowda, who served as a minister in various governments, also served as Speaker of the State Legislative Assembly, from 1983 to 1985, and also as a Leader of the Opposition in both the Legislative Assembly and Council.
Recalling Gowda's long political career and service to the state in various capacities, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said he was a clever politician, who had in-depth knowledge of literature.
"His death is a loss to Karnataka politics," he said, adding that he would take part in Gowda's funeral in Mudigere on Wednesday.
Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda expressed pain at Chandre Gowda's death.
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, former Chief Ministers -- B S Yediyurappa, Basavaraj Bommai and H D Kumaraswamy -- are among scores of political leaders and personalities who have expressed grief over Gowda's passing away.
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Strict security measures in place in Mumbai for Messi's events at 2 venues Dec 14, say police
Mumbai (PTI): In view of Argentine superstar footballer Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai on Sunday, the city police are implementing stringent security measures, like not allowing water bottles, metals, coins inside the stadiums and setting up watchtowers to keep an eye on the crowd, officials said.
The police also said taking extra care to avoid any stampede-like situation and to prevent recurrence of the chaotic situation that unfolded in Kolkata during Messi's visit on Saturday as thousands of fans protested inside the Salt Lake stadium here after failing to catch a clear glimpse of the football icon despite paying hefty sums for tickets.
Messi is expected to be present at the Cricket Club of India (Brabourne Stadium) in Mumbai on Sunday for a Padel GOAT Cup event followed by attending a celebrity football match. He is expected to proceed to the Wankhede Stadium for the GOAT India Tour main event around 5 pm.
"In view of Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai, the police are geared up and have put in place a high level of security arrangements in and around the stadiums located in south Mumbai. Considering the chaos that prevailed in Kolkata and the security breach, we have deployed World Cup-level security arrangements at Brabourne and Wankhede stadiums," an official said.
Expecting heavy crowd near the stadiums during Messi's visit, the city police force has deployed more than 2,000 of its personnel near and around both the venues, he said.
As the Mumbai police have the experience of security 'bandobast' during the victory parade of ICC World Cup-winning Indian team and World Cup final match at the Wankhede Stadium, in which over one lakh cricket fans had gathered, we are prepared to handle a large crowd of fans, he said.
"We are trying to avoid the errors that occurred in the past," the official said.
There is no place to sneak inside the stadiums in Mumbai like the Kolkata stadium, according to him.
The police are also asking the organisers to provide all the required facilities to the fans inside the stadium, so that there will be no chaos, he said, adding the spectators have purchased tickets in the range of Rs 5,000 to 25,000. After paying so much of amount, any spectator expects proper services, while enjoying the event, he said.
The police are expecting 33,000 spectators at the Wankhede Stadium and over 4,000 at Brabourne Stadium. Besides this, more than 30,000 people are expected outside and around the stadiums just to have a glimpse of the football sensation, he said.
The organisers responsible for Messi's India visit recently came to Mumbai to discuss security arrangements. During the meeting, the Mumbai police asked them not to take the event lightly, according to the official.
After those requirements were fulfilled, the final security deployment was chalked out, he said.
Police has the standard procedure of the security arrangements inside the Wankhede Stadium, where people are barred from taking water bottles, metals objects, coins. Police are setting up watch towers near the stadiums and there will be traffic diversions, so that there is maximum space available to stand, according to the official.
Police are also appealing to the spectators to use public transport service for commuting and avoid personal vehicles to reach south Mumbai.
To avoid any stampede-like situation, police are also taking precautionary measures and will stop the fans some distance ahead of the stadium and public announcement systems will be used to guide the crowd. Barricades will be placed at various places to manage the crowd.
In case the crowd swells up beyond expectation, the police will divert people to other grounds and preparations in this regard underway, he said.
Additional police force has been deployed in south Mumbai to tackle any kind of situation, he said.
