Mangaluru: Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda visited Kukke Sri Subrahmanya Temple and offered prayers on Monday. Kukke temple sources said that the JD(S) leader arrived at the temple late on Sunday to offer Ashlesha Puja and tulabhara seva the next day.Gowda told reporters that the central govt led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with several allied parties, is running a people-friendly administration effectively. The former Prime Minister said that the JD(S) party is with the NDA, and will face the upcoming elections together. He said that the JD(S) alliance with the NDA is stable.“Narendra Modi has gained recognition as a leader on the global stage,” he said, and also noted that during the JD(S) tenure in the state, many people-centric schemes were implemented.He called upon youth to focus on developing agriculture in their hometowns to earn more income, instead of seeking jobs in the IT and BT sectors in distant cities or abroad. “Govts are creating plans for agriculture. There are opportunities for young people to engage in politics and contribute to social welfare,” he added.Temple executive officer Aravinda Ayyappa said that the former Prime Minister arrived at the temple without any family members accompanying him. Gowda, who arrived on Sunday, stayed in the temple town and offered prayers the next day. He did not attend any programmes, he said.The officer said the temple doors remained closed between 9 am and 7.30 pm on Tuesday in the wake of a lunar eclipse.
