HDK leaves for S'pore for health checkup

JD(S) leader and former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy has left for Singapore for a master health checkup.He told reporters on Wednesday that he would be accompanied by his wife Anitha on the weeklong trip.

“While there is nothing alarming about my health, I have been told by doctors to reduce my weight by 15 kilos. This is because of a heart surgery I underwent in December 2007,” he said.

The Ramanagar MLA had gone to Singapore for three days earlier this year for the same purpose.He said since his operation, seldom had he taken a break from politics. He said he needed the time away from the hectic chores of his political life.

On the formation of the party core committee, Kumaraswamy said his father and JD(S) national president H D Deve Gowda was waiting for Pitrupaksha (considered an inauspicious month) to end before releasing the list of names for the committee.

“The list is more or less finalised. Once the month is over, we will release the names of the members of the core committee. The decision to anoint the State president will also be taken after the formation of the core committee,” he said.

On flood relief
Attacking the Congress government, Kumaraswamy said the chief minister and other ministers visited the flood-hit districts just for the sake of visiting. “Having visited those villages, it is quite evident that the extent of relief measures has been very little. While the government has stated that it has released several crores of rupees towards relief, there is little evidence to show that the money has been spent. In Raichur, the government is claiming that it has released Rs 18 crore for relief measures, but in reality, the money spent in the district is only Rs two crore,” he alleged.