Deve Gowda turns 85: Modi, Siddaramaiah greet JD(S) supremo

Bengaluru: Politics took a backseat for Janata Dal (S) supremo H D Deve Gowda, who turned 85 on Friday as wishes poured in from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president, Rahul Gandhi, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and a host of other Congress leaders as he celebrated with his family in Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh.  

While Mr Modi did not talk politics and wished Mr Gowda a long life, Mr Rahul Gandhi  apologised to him, saying he was sorry if he had hurt his feelings by  making personal attacks during the election campaign, party sources revealed.

The former Prime Minister had left Bengaluru Thursday evening in the midst of the political tumult over government formation with around 11 family members and MLC Saravana  for Tirumala to worship at the temple in the Andhra town.

Having done a nithya pada pooja and an abhisheka, he returned to Bengaluru in the evening to a celebration by his party workers, who had a large cake ready for him to cut in a pandal near his house in Padmanabhanagar.

Obliging them and cutting the cake,  Mr Gowda referred briefly to the uncertain political environment in the state, saying he was not worried whether his son and state Janata Dal (Secular) president H D Kumaraswamy became Chief Minister or not. 

“I am only pained by the fact that we have not been able to come to power on our own,”' Mr Gowda said.