Congress leader B.K. Hariprasad on March 7 alleged that there was “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,” Mr. Hariprasad, a Rajya Sabha member, told reporters in Bengaluru.
His remarks drew condemnation from the BJP, which said the Congress leader has crossed all limits of decency by insulting the armed forces with such “obnoxious” remarks and that the party has no future under Rahul Gandhi.
Mr. Hariprasad’s remarks came after Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad alleged that Mr. Gandhi neither believes the Indian Air Force nor the Supreme Court verdict and asked whether he needed a certificate from Pakistan about the Rafale fighter jet. The Congress president believes Pakistan more than Indian forces and its leaders, Mr. Prasad said.
Mr. Hariprasad hit back saying, “Mr Ravi Shankar Prasad should clarify whether there is any match-fixing between Pakistan and Mr Narendra Modi. Otherwise, without their knowledge this Pulwama incident would not have taken place.”
Mr. Ravi Shankar Prasad responded to the Congress leader, saying it is a day of “great pain” for the country that the Congress “could stoop so low for political gains”.
“Congress leader B K Hariprasad says there is collusion between Modi and Imran Khan behind air strikes. He crossed all limits of decency and propriety...He has dishonoured the country and its army. They have insulted forces and martyrdom of 40 CRPF personnel. The entire world condemns obnoxious statement and the Congress has no future under Rahul’s leadership,” Mr. Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
“I do not seek any apology from Congress because people of India will respond to these insulting statements. These comments are not accidental but designed and directed on instance of Gandhi,” the Union Minister said.
The statement came on a day when the Congress president attacked the Prime Minister over the Rafale deal alleging that he delayed the aircraft purchase and there should be a probe against him.
Mr. Hariprasad is not new to controversies. In January, he mocked BJP president Amit Shah’s illness when the latter was admitted to the AIIMS for contracting H1N1. Addressing a meeting in Bengaluru, Mr. Hariprasad said in Kannada that Mr. Shah got swine flu because he tried to destabilise the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in Karnataka.
