Congress leaders advise Hariprasad not to air grouses outside party forum
Bengaluru (PTI): Senior Congress leader B K Hariprasad's veiled dig at Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah seems to have created unease within the ruling party, with some senior leaders and ministers advising him to not to air his grouses outside, and instead take it up with party high command.
Industries Minister M B Patil, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao and senior MLA Basavaraj Rayareddy, reminded Hariprasad about his seniority and experience in politics and tried to suggest that his statements were unbecoming of his stature.
"Hariprasad is a senior leader, he has to guide youngsters. He can speak with AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Randeep Surjewala, KC Venugopal, directly. He has contacts, he can air his grouses with them. Speaking at other platforms is not right for his stature.
... It's not appropriate for him to speak like that in public. It's not good for the party, government and himself," Patil told reporters.
Stressing that nobody is above the party and should not cross the line, he said, "The party will be observing everything, including Hariprasad's statement and will take appropriate decisions."
Rao said, "... positions come and go, but speaking like that on a public platform is unacceptable."
Hariprasad damaged his own reputation, he said.
"He has to say what his grouse is. High command seems to have spoken to him now, and asked him not to indulge in such statements."
According to Rayareddy, Hariprasad should directly talk to the Congress high command about his disgruntlement.
"Hariprasad is a senior Congress leader, these days he seems to be upset. I don't know whether it is because he is not made Minister or he feels he is being sidelined, but his statements indicate that... He has direct contact with high command, including Sonia Gandhi, and can speak to them and get his issues resolved," he added.
In what is being seen as veiled attack against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Hariprasad on Saturday had said, some people wearing a Hublot watch along with a panche (dhoti) cannot claim to be a Samajwadi (socialist), and one cannot become Devraj Urs (former CM known for social reforms) by sitting in his car.
Though he did not take any names during his speech, it was quite apparent that the comments were directed at Siddaramaiah, considering the references he made to.
He also expressed his displeasure over a Dalit leader like G Parameshwara (now Home Minister) not being considered by the Congress for the CM's post and ST leader like Satish Jarkiholi for Deputy Chief Minister's post.
The MLC, who is said to be sulking for sometime now over not being inducted into Karnataka cabinet, had made these statements while speaking at a 'convention of like-minded most backward classes' like -- Ediga, Billava, Namdhari and Deevara among others.
However, Minister Priyank Kharge said, Hariprasad has not taken any names. He is a senior leader, and will speak to party leadership and resolve issues if any.
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Mumbai Metro lines 9 and 2B open for commuters
Mumbai (PTI): Commercial operations on the first phases of Mumbai Metro corridors 9 and 2B began on Wednesday morning, a day after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated the mass-transit routes, officials said.
While the Metro 9 marks the first direct connectivity between a suburb in Mumbai and a part of Thane city in the metropolitan region, the Line 2B will provide the first metro connectivity on the Harbour Line in Mumbai.
The 5.6-km elevated Phase 1 stretch of Metro Line 9 comprises four stations -- Dahisar East, Pandurangwadi, Miragaon and Kashigaon. The 5.53-km Phase 1 of Metro Line 2B has five stations, including Deshbhakt N G Acharya Udyan (Diamond Garden), Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Chowk, Deonar, Mankhurd and Maharashtra Nagar–Mandale.
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According to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), Line 9 is expected to cut travel time between Mira-Bhayandar in Thane district and Mumbai to around 30 minutes from the current one to two hours. Built at Rs 6,607 crore, it will eventually provide seamless connectivity to south Mumbai through interlinking with other lines.
With the addition of the two new lines, Mumbai’s operational Metro network has expanded to six corridors, including Line 1 (Ghatkopar-Andheri-Versova), Line 2A (Andheri West-Dahisar East), Line 7 (Dahisar East-Andheri East) and the underground Line 3 (Colaba-Bandra Kurla Complex-SEEPZ).
As per MMRDA, the revised timetable for Line 2A and Line 7 came into effect on Wednesday, aimed at improving frequency, predictability and overall commuter experience.
It said that with the inauguration of Line 9, Metro Line 2A will now operate as a standalone corridor between Andheri West and Dahisar East, with services from 5.50 am till around 11 pm and a peak frequency of about six minutes.
The integrated Line 7-9 corridor (Gundavali to Kashigaon), spanning 19.79 km, will operate from 5.50 am to 11 pm, with a peak frequency of under six minutes and 276 services on weekdays.
Metro Line 2B (Phase 1) services commenced at 6 am and will run till around 10.30 pm at intervals of approximately nine-and-a-half minutes, operating 209 services daily, according to officials.
MMRDA said the integration of Line 7 with Line 9 enables direct connectivity from Andheri East to Mira-Bhayandar, while Lines 2A and 7 will function as separate corridors.
A seamless interchange facility at Dahisar station will allow passengers to switch between Lines 2A and 7 without exiting the “paid” (ticketed) area.
