Thursday, July 28 2005 15:14 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Chennai: Former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (JD) Secular (S) President H D Deve Gowda said in Chennai today (July 28, 2005) that the Cauvery water dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka should not be politicized.

In an informal chat with reporters here, he said the dispute involved the lives of lakhs of farmers of both the states.

The dispute should be settled amicably, he said adding he was informed that water was now being released by Karnataka.

Earlier, speaking at a school function here, he said rural education needed strengthening in which both the private and Government sectors had a role to play.

He said there existed a lot of confusion with regard to admission to higher education and the Center should come out with a clear cut national policy on education, covering all aspects of common entrance tests for admission to professional colleges, fee structure and better infrastructure.