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Nanje Gowda passes away

H.N. Nanje Gowda

BANGALORE: The former Minister for Irrigation in the D. Devaraj Urs Ministry and former member of the Lok Sabha for two terms from Hassan constituency, H.N. Nanje Gowda, passed away on Thursday here. He had been to a hospital on Bannerghatta road to admit a relative and collapsed in the car while returning home.

Seventy-four-year-old Mr. Nanje Gowda was an expert on all matters pertaining to the Krishna and the Cauvery basin and the inter-State river disputes. He was looked at as a mentor by irrigation ministers over the past three decades and was a friend of the Cauvery basin farmers in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu as well.

Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, soon after assuming charge, had called on Mr. Gowda at his residence to have an insight on various matters pertaining to the State. Mr. Gowda was one of the important persons whose attendance was sought at the all-party meetings called by various governments to discuss tiver water issues. After a stint in the Praja Socialist Party, he joined the Swatantra Party, then the Congress, the BJP, the JD(U) and finally the JD(S).

He had first contested the 1962 Assembly elections on a Praja Socialist Party ticket but was defeated. Then he joined the Swatantra Party to contest the 1967 elections from Arkalgud in Hassan district and won the seat. In 1972, he contested on a Congress ticket and won. He was inducted into the Devaraj Urs Ministry and assigned the all-important portfolio of irrigation. He was a member of the Lok Sabha for two terms from 1980 to 1989.

He was a close associate of the former Prime Minister, H.D. Deve Gowda.

In a condolence message, the Chief Minister said that in the death of Mr. Nanje Gowda the State had lost a very important person who was guiding it on irrigation matters for several decades.

He was known for his indepth knowledge on river water issues.

The former Chief of Bureau of The Hindu, C.M. Ramachandra, who was a friend of Mr. Nanje Gowda for nearly five decades, said, “I have lost a good friend.”

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