Former PM Deve Gowda pays tribute to Basaveshwara in London
London, Oct 27: Former prime minister H.D Deve Gowda paid tribute to Basaveshwara at an event here, saying the 12th century Kannada social reformer fought for eradication of caste discrimination which still prevails in India.
The event on Friday was organised by the Basaveshwara Foundation, a non-profit organisation based in the UK that has erected a statue of Basaveshwara on the bank of river the Thames.
Former mayor of the London borough of Lambeth and Chairman of the foundation Neeraj Patil welcomed the former prime minister along with MP Kupendra Reddy on behalf of the Indian-origin and Kannada communities.
Members of the two important Kannada diaspora organisations - Kannadigaru UK & Sandalwood UK, joined Gowda on the occasion.
"Basaveshwara fought for eradication of caste discrimination and social justice in Indian society and unfortunately India still remains divided along caste and religious lines and this must end, there is no place for discrimination in the modern world," said the former premier.
Gowda paid tribute to Basaveshwara for his contribution towards democracy and social justice in India.
He said "I am extremely delighted to see the statue of an Indian philosopher in the backdrop of the British parliament overlooking the river Thames. This makes every Indian and Kannadiga proud".
The project was approved by the planning department of the London borough of Lambeth and subsequently by the British Cabinet minister for culture media and sports as per the Public Statues Act, 1854. The Basaveshwara statue and its vicinity is the intellectual property of the Basaveshwara Foundation.
The Basaveshwara statue erected at the Albert Embankment is not only the first statue to be unveiled by an Indian prime minister in the UK, but is also the first conceptual statue approved by the British Cabinet in the vicinity of Parliament.
It is located at Albert Embankment in London opposite the British Parliament.
The approval was given as a mark of respect to Basaveshwara for promoting democratic ideals, social justice and gender equality during the 12th century.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had unveiled the statue in 2015.
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Telangana CM urges Amit Shah to increase sanctioned strength of IPS officers in state
Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday night and urged him to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state in view of its growing administrative and security needs.
The two leaders also discussed the recent surrender of several senior Maoist leaders before the Telangana Police and other issues.
"During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the issue of Maoist surrenders and their rehabilitation. The chief minister informed Shah that significant improvements in policing have taken place in Telangana over the past two years," an official release here said.
Highlighting that 591 Maoists have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society during this period, the chief minister said the state government was providing them compensation and rehabilitation assistance as per the rules.
He requested the Union home minister to extend financial support from the central government for development works in the backward regions of the state.
Reddy also urged Shah to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state from 83 to 105 in line with the state's growing administrative and security needs, the statement said.
The first cadre review after the formation of Telangana was conducted in 2016, while the next review, due in 2021, was delayed and finally carried out in 2025. Even then, only seven additional IPS officers were allocated to the state, the chief minister informed Shah and requested that the third cadre review be conducted in 2026 as per the schedule.
Reddy explained that Telangana, like the rest of the country, is facing several modern challenges, including cybercrime, drug trafficking, white-collar crimes, and other emerging security threats.
He highlighted the reorganisation of the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri Police Commissionerates, the proposed formation of the Future City Commissionerate and the rapidly growing population in Hyderabad to underline the increasing administrative requirements of the state.
