Cong leader B K Hariprasad alleges "match fixing" between Modi and Imran Khan on Pulwama attack
Bengaluru, Mar 7: Sparking a major row, senior Congress leader B K Hariprasad Thursday alleged there was a "match fixing" between prime minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan on the Pulwama terror attack.
"There is a match fixing between Narendra Modi and Imran Khan, or else this Pulwama incident would not have taken place," Prasad, a Rajya Sabha member, told reporters here.
BJP in Karnataka sharply reacted to Hariprasad's charge, calling it irresponsible and saying he should be ashamed of making such statements.
Hariprasad's comments came while reacting to union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad's attack on Congress president Rahul Gandhi on the "stolen" Rafale papers.
Earlier in the day, Gandhi asked why a probe cannot be ordered against Modi for a "Rs 30,000-crore scam" when an investigation has been initiated into the theft of official documents related to the fighter jet deal.
Hitting back, Prasad said: "I totally condemn blatant lies of Rahul Gandhi. He does not believe the Indian Air Force, does not trust the Supreme Court verdict that clearly said there is no commercial impropriety in the (Rafale) procurement process. He does not believe the CAG."
Coming down on the union government, Hariprasad sought to know how the huge cache of RDX went undetected when the government agencies could find beef at different places.
"People who talk about the security of the nation, they can detect two kg of beef from Akhlaq's house, they can detect two kg of beef in Kerala guest house, they can't detect 350 kg of RDX on the national highway. It's a shame on them," he said.
BJP state general secretary and MLC N Ravikumar slammed Hariprasad for his remarks.
"This is a highly condemnable, irresponsible statement.
He should be ashamed of making such statements. Where had he mortgaged his brain before making such a statement," he said.
He blamed the Congress for terrorism in the country.
Forty CRPF jawans were killed in a suicide attack carried on their convoy in Jammu and Kashmir on February 14, for which Pakistan based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed had claimed responsibility.
Indian Air Force had carried out pre-emptive strikes on the training camps of terrorists inside the Pakistan soil.
The attack had escalated tension between Pakistan and India.
Hariprasad is not new to controversies. Earlier in January, he had mocked BJP national president Amit Shah's illness when the latter was admitted to the AIIMS for contracting H1N1.
Addressing a meeting here, Prasad had said in Kannada that Amit Shah got the 'swine flu' because he tried to destabilise the Congress-JDS coalition government in Karnataka.
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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.
