145;Nothing wrong with Bangalore infrastructure146;

Brushing aside media reports on the crumbling infrastructure in Bangalore, former prime minister and Janata Dal S chief H.D. Deve Gowda on...

Brushing aside media reports on the crumbling infrastructure in Bangalore, former prime minister and Janata Dal S chief H.D. Deve Gowda on Monday claimed that 8216;8216;there was nothing wrong with Bangalore8217;s infrastructure8217;8217;.

While trying to scotch the impression that he was 8216;8216;anti-IT8217;8217;, Gowda said: 8216;8216;Though I am a dhoti-wallah, I as Chief Minister gave clearance to the IT Park in Bangalore.8217;8217; The IT Park marked the beginning of a new phase in Bangalore, he claimed.

Gowda added that he had declared a 10-year tax holiday for the IT industry in the state: 8216;8216;Please understand that Deve Gowda was also interested in the growth of this country8217;s economy.8217;8217;

Gowda argued that the Dharam Singh government was not responsible for any lapses. He said, 8216;8216;Why raise a hue and cry about a government which has only completed six months? What has happened in eight years?8217;8217;

He vowed to raise the issue inside Parliament and outside 8216;8216;when the time comes8217;8217;. 8216;8216;I don8217;t want to see either the Manmohan Singh government or the Dharam Singh government in danger,8217;8217; he added.

Gowda said that there was no need for Karnataka Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh to come to the Capital to explain his position. 8216;8216;There was no need for him to come to Delhi to tell the media what our government is doing for IT and BT. There are media people in Banaglore too,8217;8217; said Gowda.

In reply to a question, Gowda said that he thought there was 8216;8216;nothing wrong8217;8217; with Bangalore.

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Asked if the trust between the industrialists and the government had been eroded in Karnataka, Gowda said: 8216;8216;Can you tell me who are these industrialists? I don8217;t want to take the name of anybody, including S.M.Krishna8217;s. I only say that after I left, the airport project had been pending for eight years.8217;8217; The Political Affairs Committee of Janata Dal S met on Sunday evening and reviewed the political situation in the country, particularly in Bihar, Jharkhand and Haryana, which are going to Assembly polls soon.

Gowda admitted that the Maharashtra Assembly results were disappointing for the party, as it had hoped to win at least 5 to 8 seats. The party would contest a few seats in Jharkhand and Haryana, he said, adding that he was keen on inducting young, faces at the national level. A full-pledged party office will be set up on Ferozeshah Road in New Delhi.

Gowda also called on ailing ex-PM P.V. Narasimha Rao in Delhi. According to Gowda, Rao said: 8216;8216;You are a fighter, carry on.8217;8217;