Congress MP B K Hariprasad.

NEW DELHI: Congress MP B K Hariprasad sparked a row on Thursday by claiming that the Pulwama attack, in which 40 CRPF troopers died, was a result of “match-fixing between PM Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan, inviting immediate retaliation from BJP which termed the statement “most unfortunate and made at the behest of the Congress leadership”.

Hariprasad, an MP from Karnataka , went on to allege that the Pulwama attack would not have happened “without the knowledge of the government”.

“Ravi Shankar Prasad should clarify whether there was any match-fixing between Imran Khan and PM Narendra Modi. Without their knowledge, this Pulwama attack would not have taken place. If you look at the chain of events that have taken place after Pulwama, looks like Modi had match-fixing with Khan,” Hariprasad told reporters.

Mocking the government, he said a government which could “detect 2 kg of beef in Kerala” could not “detect 300 kg of RDX in Jammu and Kashmir”.

Hitting back, Prasad termed Hariprasad’s statement “shameful, deeply reprehensible and painful”. “B K Harisprasad crossed all limits of proprietary and decency with his statement. Is he equating India with the terrorist hub of Pakistan ?” he asked. The minister said with these comments, Congress had “insulted the armed forces and the sacrifices of 40 CRPF jawans who lost their lives in a Pakistan-sponsored terror attack”.

Prasad said while the Pakistani foreign minister had said politicians in his country were united, it was not so in India. “However, we are not seeking any apology from Congress because people of India will respond to these insulting statements. These comments are not accidental but designed and directed at the behest of Rahul Gandhi,” he added.

