Media added 'masala' to my rape survivor analogy: Speaker Ramesh Kumar
Bengaluru : Facing disapproval from women lawmakers for comparing himself to a rape survivor, Karnataka Assembly Speaker Ramesh Kumar Wednesday expunged his own remarks made in the House and sought pardon from them.
With his analogy Tuesday drawing criticism as being gender insensitive, the Speaker blamed the media for 'hyping' the issue "by adding masala" to his remarks.
After the women MLAs, including Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy's wife Anitha Kumaraswamy, met him in his chamber and conveyed their disapproval, Kumar told the House that he had no intention to cause any pain to women members and that he considered them like his mothers and sisters.
"I'm directing my office to expunge all the comments made circumstantially from the records. I am clarifying that I had no intention to cause any pain to any woman from the Chair.
"...if anyone has felt so,kindly pardon me...all of you are like mothers and sisters. I Have always respected you and continue to do so," the Speaker said.
Kumar had made the controversial remarks during an intervention on discussions on Tuesday over a SIT probe into an audio clip involving BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa in a purported conversation to lure a JD(S) MLA in his alleged attempt to topple the Congress-JDS government.
The Speaker's remarks had evoked guffaw from the members.
Pointing to repeated reference to a charge against him in the audio that he had been "booked" for Rs 50 crore for a favourable ruling in case the ruling coalition MLAs resigned and the anti-defection law provisions are invoked against them, he had compared himself to a rape survivor having to undergo unabated questioning.
The Chief Minister has announced the Special Investigation Team to probe the audio episode, on the "advice" of the Speaker to "establish the truth", as his name has also been dragged with the charge that he had been "booked" for Rs 50 crore.
Besides Anitha Kumaraswamy, the other women MLAs who met the speaker are Anjali Nimbalkar, Roopa Kala Shashidhar, Kaneez Fatima, Lakshmi Hebbalkar, Sowmya Reddy and Vinisha Niro.
They met Kumar after his comments and their silence on the issue drew criticism.
"Yesterday, during the proceeding circumstantially I had spoken about the situation of a rape victim and even more insult the victim has to undergo during inquiry and reason why laws made are getting destroyed," he said.
He said, "As I made this statement a few of them (MLAs) laughed and few in the media have termed it as causing disgrace to women. For the last two days they (media) had not got any masala, they too have to lead life right, so they are doing this."
The Speaker said women MLAs came to him and said they had been conducting themselves respectfully in the House. They said they were being questioned for remaining silent while others were laughing.
"I Understand their sentiments," he said, adding that one can escape from the gallows but not from the media and "let's empty the masala for them."
Earlier, speaking to the media, women MLAs cutting across party lines expressed their displeasure about the Speaker's comment Tuesday and said it could have been avoided.
BJP MLA Shashikala Jolle said: "His (Speaker) situation may be so because of the humiliation he is made to undergo because of repeated reference to charges, but the way it was put across was not right."
Another BJP MLA Roopali Naik said the comments were not right and "it looked as though it (victims' situation) was being taken lightly. Such comments should not have been made.
We wanted to express displeasure immediately, but."
Nominated member Vinisha Niro sought to defend the Speaker saying he was drawing a parallel to the 'pain' he had been undergoing.
"He has complete respect for women, but he shouldn't have made those comments," she said.
Congress legislator Lakshmi Hebbalkar said, the Speaker did not intend to insult woman, "but this (comments) should not have happened."
Hebbalkar's lawmaker colleague Sowmya Reddy said, "I agree that the words shouldn't have been used. Rapes don't happen only on women, it happens also on men.... Knowing him, I can say, he did not meant hurting anybody.
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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.
