GT Devegowda praises Modi, asks students to emulate him

Minister for Higher Education G T Devegowda, on Wednesday, heaped praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that the latter had dedicated himself to the country.

He was delivering the presidential address at the seventh convocation of the Rani Chennamma University here.

“The prime minister leads a simple life and respects his mother a lot. Hence, the people have re-elected him,” the minister said.

He called upon the students to emulate Modi, a teaseller who became PM, and achieve something, even if they face adversities.

Devegowda said 3,800 lecturers would be appointed to government colleges soon. Guest lecturers who have put in more than 10 years of service would be given priority, he said.

He said there was a thinking to increase the salary of a guest lecturer by Rs 5,000 a month, from the present Rs 11,000, adding that steps would be taken to fill up 396 posts of principals.

Later, speaking to reporters, Devegowda said he had praised the prime minister in the past too, when the forces had undertaken surgical strikes on terrorist hideouts. The minister hastened to add that this did not mean that he was joining the BJP.

Modi would not try to bring about the non-BJP state governments, including the one in Karnataka.

Devegowda said the Congress and the JD(S) were capable of protecting their coalition government in the state.