Sharad Pawar vs Srinivasan reaches final overs. Powerplay on between the cricket czars

Pawar vs Srinivasan

The writing seems to be on the wall for BCCI's adamant chief N Srinivasan. The rebellion against his brazen continuance as the cricket board's chief is growing with each passing minute and his staunch rival and former BCCI President Sharad Pawar is leading the charge against him. It is all down to numbers now and Srinivasan's support is dwindling as his opposition slowly chips away at his support base.

Can Sharad Pawar be the answer to clean up the mess in BCCI? 

The Maratha strongman pitchforked himself into that role at his press conference on Wednesday. And there are whispers that he is targeting a return to the chair of the BCCI boss, through the MCA.

Union Minister Sharad Pawar seems set to open a fresh innings at BCCI. His first aim is to contest the Maharashtra Cricket Association elections in July. 

Pawar, a former BCCI chief under whom Srinivasan worked as Secretary, has made no direct demand for Srinivasan's ouster but he claims that when he was at the helm, such nonsense had not happened. However, that is a claim disputed by his opponents. 

Pawar's claims have to be taken with a pinch of salt after Headlines Today exposed on Tuesday a letter in which he clearly allowed Srinivasan's request to bid for a franchise. This despite the fact that Srinivasan was a top official of the BCCI. 

Cricket czars vs CBI

It's become a major turf war between the two power players of Indian cricket. But as of now, the Centre is no mood to become a part of their games.

A day after Pawar took the raging debate to a new level by demanding a CBI probe into the scam, the Home ministry has pointedly rejected it.

The MHA for now has passed on the buck to the states, claiming that a probe by the CBI could be ordered only if the govt of any state where IPL matches were held, requests for it. Again, something which no chief minister is keen on.

But regardless of the political tussle between Srinivasan and Pawar, there might be merit in the suggestion of a central probe into the scandal which has brought out all the skeletons in BCCI's closet

Clamour for Srinivasan's ouster grows

The clamour for embattled BCCI President N Srinivasan's resignation in the wake of the spot-fixing scandal continued to grow today with Goa and Assam cricket associations joining the chorus for his ouster even as Union Minister Sachin Pilot called for a "thorough probe" to restore the credibility of the game.

Srinivasan might have claimed that the Board is firmly behind him but the tide seems to be turning against him in the last couple of days with more Board officials asking him to "stay away" till the investigations were completed.

MUST READ: Srinivasan entangled in Jagan assets case

Srinivasan's son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, who is Team Principal of Chennai Super Kings, the IPL franchise owned by the BCCI boss, is currently behind bars for alleged involvement in betting.

"The spot fixing scandal has sullied the name of cricket and hurt the feeling of people who are fondly attached to the game...an inquiry has been ordered into the scandal and I am confident that it will hold thorough probe to regain confidence of people towards lovely game of cricket," Pilot, the Corporate Affairs minister, said in Patna.

IPL Chairman Rajeev Shukla, who had yesterday indicated that he would not take up the post again, refused to talk more on the issue.

"I have already spoken in detail about the entire thing yesterday...I have nothing to add to it," Shukla said.

After Jyotiraditya Scindia raised the first voice of dissent on Tuesday, more and more Board and state unit officials are coming on record to express their displeasure over Srinivasan's continuance.

"He has to resign, there is no other option. How can you continue when your son-in-law is involved, he is involved with CSK, it is just not possible to have an impartial probe till he resigns," said Goa Cricket Association vice-President Shekhar Salkar.

"For the sake of BCCI's credibility, in my personal opinion, he should resign till the probe is on. If it is declared that he did nothing wrong and he is proved innocent than he can come back as BCCI President. But at least till the probe is complete, he should step down," Salkar said.

His views were seconded by Assam Cricket Association President Gautam Roy.

"In the interest of fairness, he should step aside till the investigation is on. That is my personal opinion," Roy said.

A three-member BCCI commission, comprising two retired judges, is probing the allegations against Meiyappan separately and Srinivasan has stated that he would have no role in its functioning and the report it would come out with.

"Punishment for spot-fixing or corruption should be life ban because a few rotten apples are spoiling everything.

Unless BCCI takes stern action it won't be long before everybody does this because the money involved is huge," said Salkar while demanding a thorough probe.

Last night, BCCI Treasurer Ajay Shirke had also sought Srinivasan's ouster saying, "If I was in his place, I would step away from the inquiry. I mean step down till the inquiry is done."

"The credibility of the Board and the perception in which it is operating is taking a beating and increasingly so. Given the continuous media speculation and the resulting damage to the image of the board, it is important that this is put to rest", he said.

The demand for Srinivasan "staying away" from the probe has also come from BCCI bigwigs such as Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association chief Jyotiraditya Scindia, IPL Chairman Rajeev Shukla and BCCI Vice President Arun Jaitley.

Former Board presidents have also had their say with Sharad Pawar and Shashank Manohar also calling for his resignation.

A defiant Srinivasan has, however, held fort and insisted that he has done no wrong.

Meanwhile, the Home Ministry said it has not received any request from the BCCI or any other quarters to probe the conduct of all the 75 IPL matches in the wake of spot-fixing and betting allegations.

"We are yet to receive a request from the BCCI or any other relevant quarters for a probe in the IPL matters," Union Home Secretary R K Singh said.

His comments came in response to a question on Agriculture Minister and former BCCI President Sharad Pawar's demand for a Home Ministry probe into all the 75 matches of the IPL.

"Let the request come to us and we will consider it. Till then it is completely hypothetical," Singh said.

Read more at:http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/srinivasan-vs-sharad-pawar-bcci-chief-must-go-says-pawar/1/277597.html

83 Chinese miners feared killed

BEIJING: With rescuers finding 11 bodies more than two days after a goldmine subsided in Tibet, hopes of saving the remaining 72 miners receded with unnamed officials saying on Sunday they were feared dead. Hampering operations was the break-down of the excavator and severe damage to the narrow roads leading to the mine following the landslide.

The workers are buried 30 meters deep into the mine. Many rescuers were found digging into the debris with bare hands, state media said, adding that two of the buried workers are Tibetans, and that two are women. The administration said all the workers in the gold mine in Maizhokunggar County, 68 km from the regional capital of Lhasa, have been identified. The landslide covers an area of three sq km at the Jiama Copper Gold Polymetallic Mine.

The situation worsened at one pm on Saturday as snow began falling. The site is at a height of more than 4,600 metres, which is known to have caused altitude sickness to some of the rescuers working at minus three degree Celsius. Low temperature was also affecting the smell sense of sniffer dogs deployed for rescue work.

An army officer helping the rescue efforts said there were dangers of more landslides because the mountain surface had cracked. Until noon, more than 300,000 cubic meters of debris had been removed, he said.

In recent years, the Chinese government has been developing industries in Tibet which has large copper, chromium and bauxite reserves apart form other precious minerals and metals. But even as Tibet gets mined, the region remains one of China's poorest.

Wangchuktseten, a Tibetan scholar, was quoted by agencies as saying, "The Tibetan plateau is considered the lungs of Asia. Those short-sighted mining activities chase after quick benefits but ignore the environment for future generations."

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang ordered authorities to "spare no efforts" in their rescue work, the state-owned media reported.

Stepping in with Sachin Tendulkar will be different: Ricky Ponting

 Ricky Ponting seems to be busier after retirement. Soon after taking off his Baggy Green in December last year, Ponting got busy playing the Big Bash for Hobart Hurricanes, followed by a hectic season for his favourite team Tasmania.

He's now in India to lead the Mumbai Indians in the IPL, then will head to Surrey for a two-month stint, followed by the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) that has signed him as one of its marquee international cricketers. Just in case he ends up leading MI into the knockouts, the Champions League later this year will require him to be on duty for another two weeks.

That's quite a season ahead for the 38-year-old who, until he was wearing that Baggy Green with great pride, steadfastly chose to stay away from all the fast sprouting Twenty20 leagues as much as possible. "Now that I don't have international cricket, the opportunities to play in these domestic tournaments are really opening up," he said in Mumbai on Sunday.

He's already thinking about the first IPL match he'll play this season on April 4, at the Chinnaswamy in Bangalore. "We're (Aussies) used to the whole 'Saachin, Saachin' chant when we step on the field. This time, we'll be (Sachin and Ponting) on the same side, so that's going to be different," he said.

Ponting has watched more IPL on television than from the dugouts here in India and many cricketers Down Under have followed his example. "They take a lot of pride in Australian cricket, in wearing the Baggy Green. Back in Australia, that's big for them because they know that's how they'll be judged."

The former two-time World Cup-winning skipper does, in fact, see the danger of cricket going the football way, with club-cricket taking precedence over everything else. "Yes, I do see that happening and it is important to protect international cricket," he said, emphasizing the need for balance. "You'll be judged by how well you've played your Test cricket. For me that was always important."

Having done it like few others for 17 long years, today Ponting doesn't mind indulging in tournaments like the IPL and Big Bash. "I am very excited to be back in IPL. I said when I had finished playing the last time, hopefully I will be able to come back and play again.

The way things worked out - with my retirement from international cricket and finishing off the domestic season for Tasmania and playing well - it's given me the opportunity to be back here."

On Sunday, he attended his first training session with the Mumbai Indians team, batted for a while and set field to the MI bowlers as his teammates took their turns with the willow. "I want to play well and captain the side well. I will not leave any stone unturned as far as preparation is concerned and ensure that everything we do is for one another," he said after the gruelling three-hour session at Wankhede.

Cash transfer of subsidy could save Rs 60,000 crore: Study

Direct transfer of benefits in cash to targeted beneficiaries of food and fertilizer subsidies could save an estimated Rs 60,000 cr and help trim the fiscal deficit which, in turn, may calm stubbornly high food inflation, a study by a government wing has shown.

The study showed that policies to rein in food inflation would require winding down of the fiscal deficit, which has gone above 8% of GDP for Centre and states combined and way beyond the guidelines laid out in FRBM (Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management) Act, 2003.

"CACP's calculations show that direct transfer of food and fertilizer subsidies in cash to targeted beneficiaries has the potential to save almost Rs 60,000 crore, without any major adverse impact on the beneficiaries," the study authored by Ashok Gulati, chairman of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), and Shweta Saini said. The CACP advises the government on price policy for major farm commodities to help maintain the interest of producers and consumers.

ड्रग की तस्करी मामले में फिलहाल विजेंदर को क्लीन चिट नहीं

जाने माने बॉक्सर विजेंदर सिंह का नाम ड्रग्स तस्कर से जुड़े होने आरोपों से सनसनी फैल गई है. अभी तक जांच में सीधे-सीधे उनका नाम तो नहीं आया है, लेकिन तस्कर के घर के सामने से बरामद उनके पत्नी के नाम से रजिस्टर्ड कार ने कहानी को अलग ही मोड़ दे दिया है.
ड्रग्स 130 करोड़ के बरामद हुए थे. घर का मालिक एनआरआई है. सूत्रों की माने तो गिरफ्तार लोगों ने दावा किया है कि वो कई बार विजेंदर से मिल चुके हैं.
चंडीगढ़ से 10 किलोमीटर दूर जिरकपुर के एक फ्लैट के बाहर 130 करोड़ के ड्रग्स की कहानी शुरू हुई, और यहीं से उछला बॉक्सर विजेंदर सिंह का नाम.
क्या हुआ अभी तक...
जिस घर से ड्रग्स बरामद हुई वहां से गिरफ्तार लोगों का दावा है कि वो कई बार विजेंदर सिंह से मिल चुके हैं. बॉक्सर विजेंदर सिंह की ओर से सफाई आ चुकी है, उन्होने दो टूक कहा है कि वो इन लोगों को व्यक्तिगत तौर पर नहीं जानते. विजेंदर के दोस्त राम सिंह से भी पुलिस पूछताछ कर चुकी है. राम सिंह के पास ही विजेंदर की वो गाड़ी थी जो ड्रग तस्कर के घर पर मिली थी. तफ्तीश के लिए हरियाणा पुलिस भी पंजाब पंहुच चुकी है. इस मामले में पुलिस की तहकीकात जारी है और अधिकारियों का कहना है कि जरूरत पड़ी तो विजेंद्र से भी पूछताछ हो सकती है.
जिरकपुर के फ्लैट के बाहर जो फोर्ड एन्डीवर कार खड़ी मिली. वो विजेंदर सिंह की पत्नी अर्चना के नाम से रजिस्टर्ड हैं. इसी कार की वजह से ड्रग्स तस्करों का कनेक्शन विजेंदर तक होने का शक जताया गया. पुलिस इसी आधार पर जांच में जुटी है.
विजेंदर इस मामले में सफाई दे चुके हैं और कहा था, 'मैं आरोपों से पूरी तरह इंकार करता हूं. मेरा इस मामले से कोई लेना-देना नहीं है. इस मामले में जिनलोगों का नाम आ रहा है उन्हें मैं व्यक्तिगत तौर पर नहीं जानता. हो सकता है मेरी उनसे कभी मुलाकात हुई हो लेकिन मैं सीधे तौर पर इन्हे नहीं जानता. मैं इस मामले में पुलिस की सहायता करना चाहता हूं. मेरे पास छिपाने के लिए कुछ भी नहीं है. मेरी पत्नी की कार का वहां से बरामद होना महज एक इत्तेफाक है. हो सकता है कि जिस आदमी को पुलिस ने पकड़ा है वो मेरी छवि धूमिल करने की कोशिश कर रहा हो. मेरा ध्यान हमेशा मेरी खेल की ओर रहा है.'
विजेंदर सिंह हरियाणा पुलिस में डीएसपी हैं. बॉक्सिंग चैंपियन होने की वजह से उन्हें राज्य सरकार ने ये नौकरी दी है. हरियाणा पुलिस भी मामले की तह तक जाने की कोशिश में हैं. जाहिर है पुलिस इस मामले में बच-बच कर बोल रही है. तहकीकात का हवाला देकर बहुत सारे सवालों को टाल रही है.
बहरहाल, मुक्केबाज विजेंदर सिंह मुंबई में हैं. अपनी ओर से सफाई भी पेश कर चुके हैं, लेकिन सूत्रों की माने तो आने वाले दिनों में इस मामले में कुछ और मोड़ आ सकते हैं

Food prices worry govt ahead of 2014 elections

The Manmohan Singh government's mission in a pre-election year seems cut out: To check and roll back retail food inflation that rose from 4% in January last year to 13% in December, a trend that could blight its 2014 poll ratings.

With food prices accounting for half of overall inflation, this group stayed above 10% most of last year, higher than the overall consumer price index figure of 9.7% for rural and urban categories. Except for a tiny dip in October, food inflation rose through 2012.

The trend has not changed in January and February this year either, presenting a worrying picture for the government with the rise in food prices reflected across all consumer categories like urban, rural, industrial worker and agricultural labour.

A paper by Central Statistical Organization's additional director general Ashish Kumar and deputy director general G M Boopathy points to runaway food prices as the root cause of India's stubborn high inflation that can hobble UPA2.

Going by the paper's conclusions, the government's prime political task should be to knock down food inflation by half by the time India votes in April 2014.

Even in the wholesale price index, which offers a more comforting picture for the government, the rise in food inflation from 1.45% in January 2012 to 10.39% in December has been rather steep. The study accords higher emphasis to consumer inflation as this is what matters for the aam aadmi.

Tracking inflation on a year-on-year basis, the CSO paper says, "It is seen that out of average inflation for 2012 based in CPI of 9.7%, 49.8% is attributed to food and beverages." In the food group, cereals and milk contributed 10% each.

The paper does not dwell on reasons for high food inflation, but the price rise seems due to both increasing demand and failure to manage the supply chain. Deficient rains in the first half of the monsoon also hit farm produce.

In a recent interview, Planning Commission member Abhijit Sen said food inflation seemed more a factor of poor food management than production shortfalls.

A monsoon revival last year helped agriculture recoup and storage of food grain remains at record levels spurred by regular increase in minimum support price and bonuses offered by state governments.

While high MSP benefits farmers, it impacts retail prices. The government may hope to reap political returns, banking on a cheaper rural economy containing consumer discontent but the CSO study shows food inflation for rural areas also touched 13% in December 2012.

The government may need to take note of CPI food weightage in rural areas being higher than in urban centres. Overall, egg, fish and meat inflation was higher than 10% last year as was the case with vegetables. Pulses were at 10%.

CSO officials pointed to an anomaly in the CPI and WPI data with regard to pulses, oils, eggs, fish, meat, milk, vegetables and fruit groups. "WPI was more than that of consumer price inflation in respect of pulses and meats. On the other hand, CPI was more than WPI for oils, milk, vegetables and fruit

Naming anti-rape law after girl will be an honour: Family

BALLIA, UP: A day after Union minister Shashi Tharoor favoured naming the revised anti-rape law after the Delhi gang-rape victim, her family members on Wednesday said they have no objection to it and the move would be an honour to the girl.
The family members of the 23-year-old girl said that "if her name is made public for this purpose, they have no objection to it".
Talking to the father and brother of the girl said that "if the government names the revised anti-rape law after her, they have no objection and it would be an honour to her".
Tharoor had yesterday favoured making public the identity of the gang-rape victim wondering what interest was served by keeping her name under wraps.
Tharoor, the minister of state for human resources development, had also said the revised anti-rape legislation should be named after the victim if her parents do not have any objection.
"Wondering what interest is served by continuing anonymity of #DelhGangRape victim. Why not name&honour her as a real person w/own identity?" he asked on micro-blogging site Twitter.
"Unless her parents object, she should be honoured&the revised anti-rape law named after her. She was a human being w/a name,not just a symbol," Tharoor, who is known for speaking his mind, said.
On reports of Telugu filmmaker Ramana Gaddam planning to make changes in his upcoming film to highlight the brutal gang rape, the girl's brother said before doing so he should meet them and give information about the storyline.
He said the director would have to clarify what he wants to portray in the movie.
Asked about the financial assistance of Rs 20 lakh announced by the Uttar Pradesh government and assistance of Rs 15 lakh and job announced by Delhi government, the brother said though announcements have been made, they are yet to receive the assistance.
However, the girl's father said he was satisfied with the announcements made by the government.
The family members termed as misleading reports in the media that the girl was about to get married.
On a question regarding police chargesheet in the case, the brother said they do not want to comment on the issue and only want justice.

NSE index breaches 6,000 for first time since January 2011

MUMBAI: NSE stock index rose 0.8% on Wednesday to breach the 6,000 mark for the first time in two years after the US House of Representatives approved a deal on the fiscal cliff, sparking broad-based buying. Banking shares led the gainers as hopes of a January rate cut gathered steam. ICICI Bank rose 0.9%, while State Bank of India rose 1.3%. 

The 50-stock NSE index was up 0.8% as of 0553 GMT, after earlier rising to as high as 6,000.50 points, trading above that key psychological level for the first time since Jan. 7, 2011.