Wishes pour in for former PM Deve Gowda on his 87th birthday

Bengaluru: Former prime minister and Janata Dal (Secular) supremo H D Deve Gowda turned 87 on Monday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi among others greeting him on the occasion.

The JD(S) patriarch kept his birthday celebrations a low-key affair due to the coronavirus outbreak and the consequent lockdown.

Gowda had three days ago appealed to his followers not to gather to celebrate his birthday as the current situation warranted social distancing and staying at home.

The unprecedented situation also saw Gowda missing out on offering prayers at the famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara on his birthday, a routine he had been following for over three decades.

Modi in a tweet said:

Rahul Gandhi tweeted:

Former chief minister and Congress legislature party Leader in the state Siddaramaiah too took to Twitter to greet Gowda.

Gowda had served as the 11th Prime Minister of the country from June 1, 1996 to April 21, 1997.

He was also a former chief minister of Karnataka.