Howrah News Service - Latest news and headlines on Howrah,West Bengal and World

Quake a major disaster, Jiabao calls for calm

Mon, 12 May 2008 15:54:43 -0400

Beijing, May 12: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao described a powerful earthquake that struck southwest China on Monday as a "major disaster", and called for calm.

"(When) facing (a) disaster, the most important thing is calm, confidence, courage and strong leadership," said Mr Wen, talking to China’s CCTV television station on a flight to quake-hit areas.

The 7.8-magnitude quake, which hit Wenchuan County in the southwestern province of Sichuan shortly before 2.30 pm, left at least 107 people dead and hundreds injured, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.

"The central party committee and state council require leaders at all levels to fight on the frontlines and lead the public to carry out rescue work," Mr Wen said.

"I believe that under the leadership of the party and the state council the general public and the military will unite to turn the masses into an impregnable fortress. We will definitely overcome this major earthquake disaster," Mr Jiabao said. The speed with which the 65-year-old Premier was dispatched to the epicentre, within hours of the quake, indicated how seriously the ruling Communist Party was responding to the disaster.

Chinese President Hu Jintao had already called for "all-out" efforts in rescue work, and the military was quickly dispatched to the quake-hit areas. (AFP)

Winning becomes a royal challenge

Mon, 12 May 2008 17:44:06 -0400

By Ravi Chakravarthy

Mohali, May 12: For the better part of the day, rumours flew thick and fast that Rahul Dravid had stepped down as captain and adding grist to the mills was Royal Challengers’ owner Vijay Mallya’s comments on television. It was only when Dravid took his appointed place for the toss that some normalcy was restored. Unfortunately, everything else associated with the Challengers remained a constant too.

The Challengers wallowed in self-pity, unable to even put up a semblance of a fight against Kings XI Punjab as they crashed to their seventh defeat in nine matches. It was not surprising that the locals didn’t turn up in large numbers to watch the game; they had seen and heard enough of the Challengers to give it a miss and Dravid’s men did nothing to restore their poor image on Monday.

Winning the toss was the only thing that Dravid did right as they slipped into their usual routine at the PCA Stadium. Their major area of concern, batting, continued to haunt them and the Challengers just couldn’t break free of the shackles that have enveloped them. Little wonder then, that in nine matches, they have managed to cross the 150-mark only on four occasions.

A poor score of 143/8 in 20 overs was what the Challengers mustered and it soon became a walk in the park for Yuvraj’s band as the in-form Shaun Marsh kept his good run going with an impressive, unbeaten 74 to steer Kings XI to 144/1, a comprehensive nine-wicket victory with more than four overs to spare.

It is as if the Challengers have been hit by a jinx. Dravid has tried every trick in the book and some outside it too, but he seems to run into a brick wall every time. Making first use of the wicket was of no essence as the Challengers lost wickets at repeated intervals and even the promotion of Misbah-ul-Haq to number three didn’t work as he fell in the most unlikely manner.

The Pakistani, who looked good in his brief stay fell to the rarest of dismissals, hit wicket, as he trod on his stumps while attempting to force Sreesanth on the backfoot. If this doesn’t construe a jinx, then what is?

Each time a partnership appeared to be forming, the Mohali team nipped it in the bud as their bowlers came away with miserly spells. Piyush Chawla, who brought off a spectacular caught and bowled chance, running up to mid wicket to get rid off the under-performing Cameron White, was once again very effective, scalping 2/33 while S Sreesanth was his usual busy self, coming away with 3/29 .

With none of the batsmen going on to make an impression it was left to Mark Boucher to once again step up to the plate. Though subdued on this day, the South African’s 39 off 31 deliveries with four boundaries and a six gave them a modest total but it was never going to be enough as Marsh and James Hopes added a brisk 42 for the opening wicket to stifle the Challengers. Though Hopes fell to Vinay Kumar in the seventh over, southpaws Marsh and Luke Pomersbach showed their big-hitting prowess to give Kings XI their sixth victory.

Bangalore in survival mode now

Mon, 12 May 2008 17:40:35 -0400

By Ravi Chakravarthy

Mohali, May 12: To say that the Royal Challengers are in a state of flux is a gross understatement. Over the last couple of weeks, Rahul Dravid’s men have unwittingly adhered to Murphy’s Law: everything that can go wrong has gone wrong for them and their worst fears are what the future holds. Ridiculed for picking a team fit for the longer version and chastised for their mediocre performance, the Challengers are like the walking wounded. Wounded in pride and wounded in soul.

With just six games left in the Indian Premier League, Dravid’s men will need all the luck in the world to turn things around. Even then, it may not be enough and the worst thing that could have happened to them is the loss of faith in the team by its owner, Vijay Mallya. Having steadfastly maintained silence until now, Mallya has come out with a scathing indictment of Dravid, the team and its former CEO, Charu Sharma.

What it does to a team already struggling for confidence is to only hurl it back further and there is no gainsaying the fact that the team is like one split family. Forget the camaraderie between the players, they probably won’t even have the inclination to look each other in the eye. Little wonder then that they stayed locked in their rooms prior to the match against the Kings XI Punjab on Monday.

By sacking Sharma midway through the competition, Mallya sent shockwaves through the camp and now by voicing his displeasure with the composition of the squad, he has numbed them beyond belief.

"We haven’t played good cricket, it’s understandable that such comments will come. The big names aren’t doing well, we haven’t got the combination right," was all that Dravid would say.

Perhaps, this is the reason why the Royal Challengers are travelling with their families. Most of the 18-member Challenger team and the support staff have been joined by their families and it’s a big entourage with wives and kids in tow. Apparently, finding solace in their nearest ones seems to be the only option for the suffering Challengers. Then again, they have only brought it upon themselves.

With Mallya’s patience wearing thin, a fallout was inevitable.

but even then, the sheer drama took one’s breath away. How the Challengers tackle their next six games is the big question, for, the confidence of the team is at its lowest ebb.

To say that they have to pick themselves off the floor is mildly stating the obvious but it’s easier said than done.

Despite being under tremendous pressure, Dravid has maintained equanimity. "We need to win those close games, the ones that we lost by three runs, ten runs and 11 runs. We need to get consistent. I still maintain in the quality in the team," said the captain putting on a brave face.

More than anything, Mallya is upset with the team selection and has insisted at every turn, right from the day the Challengers were launched, that Misbah-ul-Haq is his choice. Does it mean Dravid and Sharma were against the Pakistani’s inclusion? It has also been suggested in some quarters that Sharma lost his job because of the manner in which Misbah was repeatedly benched, but then again, the Pakistan batsman didn’t get to play in Kolkata despite new CEO Brijesh Patel coming on board.

Sometimes when things go wrong, everything that you do backfires and that, unfortunately, has been Dravid’s problem. The next two weeks will probably be the most difficult in Dravid’s illustrious career.

Incredible turnaround for Chennai

Mon, 12 May 2008 17:40:53 -0400

By V. Balaji

Mumbai, May 12: The turnaround has been nothing short of spectacular for Chennai. After three successive defeats a positive result seemed distant. The Chennai Super Kings looked lost after their lot of Antipodeans had left. Their gameplans went awry and replacements did not measure up well. The last two games however, saw a refreshing change in attitude. It proved beyond doubt on how well this unit have overcome the loss of some big players and started to believe in themselves.

For a brief while even the unflappable Mahendra Singh Dhoni looked uninspired in Delhi. As the runs flowed freely the Super Kings wore a crestfallen look. To chase a target close to nine runs per over against one of the better attacks in the event required some dynamism at the top and it was provided by two of the most unlikely candidates: S. Vidyut and Stephen Fleming. The first wicket stand signified on how this team has thrived on a collective effort rather than depending on big names alone.

Even when Hayden and Hussey provided the fireworks the others played their part well that resulted in continued success.

After Saturday’s match Chennai have only Dhoni in the in the top-four of either the batting or bowling charts. Each player has chipped in with his might. Unknown names like Manpreet Gony and P. Amrnath have risen to the occasion and have provided the wickets while the runs have been equally spread among the top-order and that has greatly reduced the pressure on Dhoni. It is a case of the sum being greater than the parts.

The team is one of the youngest in the competition and an athletic one at it. Catches have been accepted, sliding stops on the boundary have resulted in crucial runs being saved, making the difference between winning and losing. The camaraderie in the side is excellent. The senior members and foreign imports have mingled well with the local players.

Lack of options has actually worked well for the Super Kings. The first three matches were won with the same team and a solitary change was made for the fourth. The last two games have also been won with the same combination. Dhoni has made things work with what he has. A winning unit has seldom been disturbed and that has contributed to the success in no small measure.

Muttiah Muralitharan has been an unsung hero. For a marquee name to be pushed to the background talks highly of the players who have led the charge. Suresh Raina, S. Badrinath, Gony and Vidyut have all come to the party. Murali is content to play the restrictive role to perfection. His four overs have been crucial.

Barring the game against Mumbai Indians where the dew affected his bowling the offie has hardly gone beyond seven runs per over. He has played his part silently and his razor sharp fielding has given the side the cutting edge. Albie Morkel is another import who is enjoying every minute of the showcase event. His ability to create the big shots have come in handy at the death. His presence as an all-rounder gives the team the much required balance.

The campaign is back on track for the Super Kings. They have held their nerves well in tight situations. All the team requires from here is two wins in the five remaining matches to qualify for the semifinal. From there it could well be an hour or two of greatness or madness that will decide the outcome.

‘Delhi’s fielding not up to the mark’

Mon, 12 May 2008 17:39:25 -0400

By OUR CORRESPONDENT

Kolkata, May 12: Things seem to be getting a little difficult for the Delhi Dardevils, who have lost two games on the trot after beginning their Indian Premier League campaign in dominant fashion. Now lying fifth in the league table with eight points from as many games, Delhi need to get the better of the Kolkata Knight Riders on Tuesday at the Eden Gardens to revive their prospects of reaching the semifinal.

Coach Greg Shipperd, however, feels that losing close matches and his side's below par fielding are the main causes for worry.

"It was a disappointing defeat last night (against Rajasthan Royals). We lost yet another close game which is really unfortunate," Shipperd said. "In most of the games, we have bowled quite well. But the fielding hasn't been up to standard. We dropped a few easy catches as well in our previous game. So, this is an area we urgently need to work on," he added.

The opening duo of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir have played a significant part in most matches the Daredevils have won. Their early dismissals have caused problems for the middle order, Shipperd admitted.

"The Sehwag-Gambhir opening combination is always a strong one. But their early exit in the last couple of matches did make our middle order batsmen feel the pressure."

***

'IPL has a corporate side to it'

By OUR CORRESPONDENT

Kolkata, May 12: Bangalore Royal Challengers captain Rahul Dravid seems to be under a lot of pressure with the team's franchise owner Vijay Mallya reportedly criticising him and sacked CEO Charu Sharma for the squad selection. "I had a separate list of players that I wanted. But since Dravid is such an iconic player I trusted his judgement. And Charu Sharma also backed him.

"My biggest mistake was to abstain from the selection of the team. After seeing the final list, my friends told me it looked like a Test team," Mallya has been quoted as saying.

The Royal Challengers are languishing at the bottom of the table with four points. The grapevine has it that Dravid may be put on the transfer market when the IPL transfer window opens next February. "The IPL has a corporate side to it," Mallya reportedly said.

Arjun: I’m no sycophant

Mon, 12 May 2008 17:29:10 -0400

By Venkatesh Kesari

New Delhi, May 12: A day after his tactical retreat, Union HRD minister Arjun Singh on Monday walked the extra mile to project himself as a loyalist and hit back at his detractors within the party. "I am a loyalist, not a sycophant, and there is no need for me to give any statement on oath," the senior party strategist said.

He also said that AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi has the qualities to become Prime Minister. "Rahul Gandhi me pradhan mantri banne ki gun hain yah main maanta hoon," he said.

Mr Singh reiterated this at a time when AICC officials, and even some Union ministers from the Congress, publicly aired their views on Mr Rahul Gandhi’s capacity to become Prime Minister, ignoring the advice not to create an atmosphere of sycophancy.

The HRD minister was neither defensive nor demoralised by the attack by some "junior" Congress leaders for raising the issues of "loyalty" and the "need for wider consultations within the party". In fact, he virtually ignored comments by Mr R.K. Dhawan, Mr M. Veerappa Moily, Mr Ajit Jogi and others.

He dismissed suggestions that Congress president Sonia Gandhi was unhappy with him. "I have not felt like that. What can I say about a thing which has no basis," he said. He also denied that she had asked him to give up the key HRD ministry and take up a different charge. "She never spoke to me about it. Never," he said.

On his suggestion that Mr Rahul Gandhi has the capacity to become Prime Minister, Mr Singh clarified that it did not mean he was seeking the removal of Dr Manmohan Singh and making the young Gandhi Prime Minister right now.

Asked whether his statement meant that Dr Manmohan Singh should not be projected as the Prime Minister in the next polls, Mr Singh said it was for the party to decide on the issue when the elections come. "I am neither sad nor disappointed," Mr Singh said in the wake of the Congress giving signals that it was not entirely happy with him despite his statement on Sunday dismissing the controversies as "needless and irrelevant" and declaring it a closed chapter.

The HRD minister also hit back at his detractors when said leaders like Mr Ajit Jogi, whom he had brought into politics, were critical of his recent statements. "Don’t ask me for a list of my sins and good deeds," he said sarcastically. He said he has nothing but respect for such people.

Cong ‘chargesheet’ against Maya

Mon, 12 May 2008 17:29:33 -0400

By OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Lucknow, May 12: The UP Congress on Monday issued a chargesheet against the Mayawati government which completes one year in office on Tuesday.

Addressing a press conference, UPCC president Rita Bahuguna Joshi asked chief minister Mayawati to respond to her charges within one month, failing which the Congress would launch its "Jail Bharo Andolan" in Uttar Pradesh.

The chargesheet, printed as a black book, holds the Mayawati government responsible for the deplorable condition of the state in the past one year. "The past one year of Mayawati regime has been a year of despair, despondency and dejection. The state government has proved to be a failure on all fronts and all of Mayawati’s claims have been proved hollow," she said.

The black book, meanwhile, claims that the Mayawati government has been a total failure on the law and order front and Uttar Pradesh accounts for almost 51 per cent cases of atrocities against women, reported to the National Commission for Women in the past one year. The cases of rape and crime against women have also registered a rise in the past one year.

"Atrocities against dalits have also recorded an increase and of the 346 farmers who committed suicide in the Bundelkhand region during the past one year, 219 were dalits. The Mayawati government is denying these deaths because if it owns up the truth, how will it tell India that Mayawati is the best ruler? Dalits have been at the receiving end in this government and we can produce figures to substantiate our claim — figures that we have got through the Right to Information Act," Ms Rita Bahuguna Joshi said.

The UP Congress president further accused the Mayawati government of "wasting" public money in pulling down and building new structures. "Three structures worth Rs 57 crores were blown up with dynamites in the Ambedkar Park to make way for new structures. The boundary of the Ambedkar Park has been constructed at a cost of Rs 3,124 lakhs. Is this not a waste of public money, and that too in a state where farmers are dying of starvation?" she asked.

The state Congress president further criticised the UP chief minister for showing political intolerance towards criticism and unleashing political vendetta on the Opposition.

She said that the Congress in UP was fully geared up for a do-or-die battle and if Ms Mayawati did not respond to the chargesheet, the Congress would launch a agitation.

Kingmaker Maya revered, feared

Mon, 12 May 2008 17:29:58 -0400

By AMITA VERMA

Lucknow, May 12: Exactly a year ago, she had shocked her rivals when she led her party to a majority in the UP Assembly to become the chief minister for the fourth time. A year later, Ms Mayawati has emerged strong enough to position herself as the kingmaker — if not the king (or queen) — in national politics. She is now revered by her supporters and feared by her rivals.

Ms Mayawati, who completes one year in office on Tuesday, will go down in history as a leader who changed the social equations in a caste-ridden state and ushered in the formula of social engineering.

Being an astute politician, Mayawati has realised that the support of dalits alone can never take her beyond Uttar Pradesh. To broaden the BSP base, she coined the slogan of "Sarvjan Hitaye, Sarvjan Sukhaye" and began wooing the Brahmin community with a vengeance.

She even appointed Mr Satish Chandra Misra as the BSP national general secretary to indicate that the party was now open to upper castes.

The forging of the dalit-brahmin alliance consolidated her position in UP politics and led the party to a majority. The experiment proved a success and the victory of the BSP in five byelections, held here last month, indicates that the alliance has now consolidated considerably.

Ms Mayawati is now on her way to wooing the Thakurs and Vaishyas. The support of these two communities could catapult her to national politics and assign her a crucial role in the formation of the next government at the Centre.

The chief minister has assigned the task of bring Thakurs into the BSP fold to four Thakur ministers in her Cabinet and former Union minister Akhilesh Das has been entrusted the responsibility of bringing Vaishyas closer to the BSP. The appointment of Dr Das as the second national general secretary of the BSP, incidentally, is reflective of the party’s growing fondness for upper castes.

In one year of governance in UP, Ms Mayawati has successfully destroyed the Opposition’s armoury. For the first time, she displayed her flexibility as a politician when she rolled back her own decisions — decisions that could have given the Opposition a weapon to hit back at her.

She withdrew the ban on student union elections, rolled back her decision to allow contract farming in the state and revoked the suspensions of IPS and IAS officers when rumblings of dissent began in the bureaucracy.

Her critics may find it strange that Ms Mayawati, during the past year, repeatedly attacked the Congress, which has a marginal presence in UP, and has ignored the Samajwadi Party and the BJP.

However, her strategy behind this is to "expose the Congress as an anti-dalit force" and position the BSP as a viable alternative at the national level. According to her, the Samajwadis have no presence at the national level.

However, as an administrator, Ms Mayawati has not been able to bring about a qualitative change in the past one year and the state continues to clamour for basic civic amenities. She has obviously spent more time fulfilling her political obligations and her left the administrative work at the mercy of her trusted officials.

However, in her eagerness to reach the national politics and broaden the BSP’s base, she has not forgotten her base vote — the dalits. The innumerable memorials for dalit icons being constructed in Lucknow and the various welfare schemes initiated in their names are proof of this.

IAF woman cadet dies in aircrash

Mon, 12 May 2008 17:26:33 -0400

By Our Special Correspondent

New Delhi, May 12: A lady flight cadet trainee of the Indian Air Force was killed on Monday afternoon when the Hindustan Piston Trainer aircraft she was flying crashed near Medak in Andhra Pradesh. The crash took place north of the Air Force Academy at Dundigal in Andhra Pradesh. The lady flight cadet was undergoing training at the Air Force Academy. IAF officials in New Delhi confirmed that she trainee had "sustained fatal injuries" and died in the crash. An enquiry has been ordered into the cause of the crash which took place at about 3 pm on Monday. This is the fourth IAF aircraft to have crashed this year so far. In the past five years, 62 IAF aircraft have crashed.

It may be recalled that less than two weeks ago, on April 29, a brand new Hawk 132 Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT) aircraft of the IAF had crashed at Bidar Air Force Station in Karnataka. But in that case, the pilots had escaped unhurt. Meanwhile, two Hawk aircraft arrived from UK on Monday along with large quantities of spares as per the induction plan, IAF officials said. Two more Hawk aircraft would arrive in the first week of June.

The Hawk AJT which crashed last month was one of the 10 new aircraft inducted into the IAF just two months ago in the presence of the Indian defence minister, IAF chief and British high commissioner. The Hawk aircraft is manufactured by BAE systems, a British company. The total contract signed between the government and BAE systems provides for the procurement of 66 Hawk AJT aircraft out of which 24 will be bought "off the shelf" from BAE while the remaining 42 will be manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. after technology transfer from BAE.

‘India ready for truck sevice to Pak’

Mon, 12 May 2008 17:26:35 -0400

By Our Special Correspondent

Srinagar, May 12: Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said on Monday that India is ready to start a truck service on Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road and is only waiting for Islamabad’s green signal before the trans-LoC trade starts.

"It is now for them to decide when they want the trucks should ply on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road. So far as we are concerned, we’ve made all arrangements including construction of godowns and customs office besides double-laning the Baramulla-Kaman Post road," he asserted.

The chief minister who was addressing a rally in border town of Uri said, "If Pakistan agrees, we are ready for cross-LoC trade to start tomorrow." According to him, India has done everything that was required of it to open the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road for trade and that the ball was now in the court of Pakistan to let the trucks ply on the road.

Mr Azad said that developments in Pakistan over the past one year or so came in the way of truck service on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road being delayed.

"Some vested interests want the people to believe that Pakistan is ready for the cross-LoC trade but it were the Central and the state governments which do not want it to happen," he said adding nothing could be more inaccurate and farther from the reality. "Why would we then construct godowns, customs office and double-lane the road leading to the Kaman Post if it was not for starting the trade?" he asked.

He said that the Pakistan government should now fulfil the wishes of the people on both sides by allowing trade through the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road.

He added that minister of external affairs Pranab Mukherji would during his upcoming visit to Islamabad discuss with his Pakistani counterpart the cross-LoC trade also. Mr Azad also hoped that the new government in Pakistan would carry forward the dialogue process with India to usher the sub-continent in an era of peace and progress.