Will renaming cities end poverty, solve unemployment, asks Sharad Pawar
Mumbai, Nov 13: Slamming the BJP over its campaign to rename cities, NCP chief Sharad Pawar Tuesday asked if the exercise would solve "core issues" like poverty and unemployment.
Speaking at an event to mark the birth anniversary of country's first education minister Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Pawar wondered if the political leaders giving public statements on the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya had faith in the judiciary.
The former Maharashtra chief minister said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regime was trying to divert people's attention from the core issues of poverty and unemployment as it was unable to resolve them.
"Names of cities are being changed. Now I hear the name of Agra, which is home to the Taj Mahal that makes the country proud, will be changed," said the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader.
"What is the need for all this? What purpose will it serve? Will it increase employment? How will this increase brotherhood among people?," he asked.
Close on the heels of renaming Allahabad as Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had on November 6 announced that Faizabad district in that state would be known as Ayodhya district.
Latching on to a recent statement made by former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan, Pawar said the youth of the nation will have to pay for the government's note ban decision.
Rajan, while delivering the second Bhattacharya Lectureship at the University of California, Berkeley last Friday said the November 2016 ban on high-value currency notes and the rollout of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in July 2017 dealt "really really hard blows" to India's economy at a time when global growth was peaking.
Accusing the Narendra Modi government of adopting the wrong policies, Pawar said if the nation was to be taken ahead, the BJP dispensation at the Centre must tread the path laid down by leaders like Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhash Chandra Bose and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.
"They are the ones who laid the foundation of development,showed the importance of education, science and technology, which is the way to development of the country," he said.
Pawar also claimed that the country's key institutions like the Supreme Court and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) were being attacked, "which had never happened in the country before".
Recalling the demolition of Babri Masjid, Pawar said he had publicly announced in Faizabad that a mosque should be rebuilt at the site.
"In the evening when people from the minority community came to meet me, they asked me not to favour (rebuilding of) a masjid because they did not want to see again what they had seen," he said referring to the riots.
"They were ready to abide by the court's decision. However, political parties today publicly talk about going to Ayodhya and starting work on Ram temple," he said.
"Muslims tell me they are not against a temple at the site but the right lies with the judiciary. Do those talking about going to Ayodhya not trust the judiciary?" he asked.
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Metro ridership in Haryana sees over 13 pc rise in 2025-26
Chandigarh (PTI): Haryana's urban transit system witnessed a strong growth in 2025-26, with metro ridership registering a robust 13.55 per cent increase, the state government said in a statement on Thursday.
The progress was reviewed in the 64th board meeting of Haryana Mass Rapid Transport Corporation (HMRTC) chaired by Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi.
Between April 2025 and February 2026, the metro network recorded over 1.74 crore passengers, compared to 1.53 crore in the corresponding period the previous year.
July recorded the highest monthly growth at 22.93 per cent, while all months showed consistent positive trends.
Financial performance has also remained strong, with fare revenue rising 12.64 per cent till January 2026, the statement said.
Non-fare revenue surged by 108 per cent, driven by effective monetisation of station spaces, advertisements and commercial activities, resulting in an operating surplus for Rapid Metro.
Further initiatives, including the auction of station naming rights and additional advertisement sites, are expected to strengthen HMRTC's financial position, the statement said.
Appreciating the performance, Rastogi stated that the consistent rise in ridership and revenue reflects the success of Haryana's integrated transport strategy, rising commuter confidence and a clear shift towards public transport.
HMRTC Managing Director Chander Shekhar Khare said that, alongside operational gains, the state is making steady progress on an ambitious pipeline of metro and regional transit projects.
Metro connectivity from Gurugram Sector 56 to Panchgaon is under active consideration, with Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited studying the Detailed Project Report (DPR) and layout plan, and finalising a depot location in Sector 36A near Sihi village, he said.
The Gurugram-Faridabad Namo Bharat corridor has achieved a key milestone, with alignment and station locations finalised and approved by the Haryana government. The National Capital Region Transport Corporation is preparing the DPR, he added.
Similarly, the Delhi-Kundli metro extension is proposed to be placed before the Haryana Cabinet for approval.
The 136.3-kilometre Delhi-Panipat-Karnal RRTS Corridor has also progressed, with the revised DPR submitted for financial concurrence ahead of Haryana Cabinet consideration.
Within Gurugram, DPR preparation has been approved for key intra-city corridors, including the 17.09-kilometre Bhondsi-Subhash Chowk-Rajeev Chowk-Sohna Chowk Railway Station corridor, enhancing connectivity along Sohna Road, Khare said.
