Key Points

"There will be no threat to the alliance in any polls, including panchayat and assembly elections. My relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi will never change. Our ties are good, and in the last ten years, I have never once spoken lightly of him," he said while addressing a press conference at the party office, J.P. Bhavan, in Bengaluru.

The JD-S, he said, aims to win at least 50-60 seats in the upcoming civic polls in Bengaluru, and hence the party is actively organising various programmes in the city.

On party organisation, Deve Gowda said he was putting in efforts, with Union Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy now actively working again in good health.

He also praised Nikhil Kumaraswamy, son of Union Minister Kumaraswamy, for taking up party organisational work across the state.

"Though he lost three elections, he has not sat idle. He has learned lessons from defeat and is now working like an experienced politician," Deve Gowda said.

The former Prime Minister also gave the Karnataka government 48 hours to provide people with a comprehensive account of what relief has been extended so far to the flood-affected districts of Kalyana Karnataka.

Deve Gowda said that flood relief programmes must be taken up on a war footing.

"People are in severe distress due to the floods. Within the next three to four days, I will personally visit the flood-affected areas to see what relief this government has provided," he said.

He also clarified that he would travel by road wherever possible to directly meet flood victims.

"I will witness their problems firsthand, gather details of the losses incurred, and verify whether the government has provided adequate assistance. I will also prepare a detailed report and submit it to Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he added.

Deve Gowda stressed that no one should politicise the flood issue and urged the government to treat it as an emergency priority.

"I have noticed legislators themselves saying there is no money in the treasury. They admit that funds are being diverted to guarantee schemes, leaving little for flood-affected districts and other needs. Because of the five guarantee schemes, the state's financial position has worsened. This government has no money to manage the severe flood situation in the six districts of Kalyana Karnataka," he remarked.

He expressed deep concern that over 50 people have lost their lives, countless livestock have perished, crops and property have been destroyed, and infrastructure such as roads and bridges have collapsed.

- IANS