Sachin Tendulkar broke Brian Lara’s record

Sachin Tendulkar broke Brian Lara’s record of scoring the highest number of runs in Test cricket in the Mohali Test.

Sachin Tendulkar became the highest scorer in Test Cricket by bettering Brian Lara’s total aggregate of 11, 953 Test runs. Before Mohali Test, Sachin has played 151 Tests (246 innings) and had a career average of 54.02. Sachin has carried the burden of Indian cricket for almost a decade and if there is anyone who desrves to get to this record, it has to be Sachin. His contribution to Indian cricket is beyond mere statistics. Even the greatest of them all Sir Don Bradman had mentioned that Sachin reminded him of his own playing style. This perhaps is the ultimate statement that describes the phenomenon called Sachin Tendulkar. President congratulates Tendulkar President Pratibha Patil congratulated Sachin Tendulkar for becoming the highest Test run-getter in the world. “You have given joy to countless Indians with your batting,” the President said in her congratulatory message to the master batsman. Tendulkar surpassed former West Indian captain Brian Lara’s record of 11,953 runs on the opening day of the second cricket Test against Australia in Mohali.

 

Mamata apprise PM on Singur situation

SP General Secretary Amar Singh along with Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banjeree met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Pratibha Patil on Tuesday and apprised them of how farmers faced a tough time in Singur due to anti-farmer policies of the West Bengal government.

“I met the PM and President on behalf of SP and TC along with Banerjee and apprised them of how farmers in Singur and common man suffered due to failure of the state government and Tatas to honour an agreement brokered by West Bengal Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi on return of farmers’ land,” Singh said.

Banerjee and her party were not anti-industry but only wanted return cultivable land to farmers, as per the terms of the agreement signed between her and the state government.

Accusing the Tatas of ditching people of West Bengal, especially Singur, over their failure to honour the terms of the agreement and leaving the state for Gujarat, Singh wondered whether Ratan Tata wants to be industrialist or a politician.

“Ratan Tata spoke about Good M (Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi) and Bad M (Mamata Banerjee). On what basis did he make this comment. Mamata Banerjee only wanted the surplus land of farmers to be given back to them, while we all know how ‘good’ Modi is.

“We want Tata’s reply by this evening whether he wants to remain an industrialist or a politician,” Singh said.

The SP general secretary, who had last month shared the dais with Mamata when she was agitating in Singur against Tatas Nano Car project, had said at that time that “they (Tatas) have acquired 1,000 acres. Trinamool Congress has only asked them to return the excess land to farmers”.

Singh said that both PM and President gave them a patient hearing and promised to take action in the matter within the purview of Constitution.

Pointing out that the TC leader has always fought for the rights of farmers, the SP leader said she will also agitate in Noida for the rights of farmers there who have lost their lands because of SEZ projects.

“I have met and told Commerce Minister Kamal Nath and Finance Minister P Chidambaram that the government should review its SEZ policy, as this SEZ is more of a Social Exploitation Zone, which is affecting the farmers,” he said.

Banerjee who was also present alongside Singh told reporters that they have “requested the President and PM to take action under Article 355 in West Bengal over the failure of the state government to honour the agreement which was brokered by Governor.”

Attacking the Left Front government in West Bengal, Banerjee said, “the Left parties had withdrawn support to the UPA government over the nuclear deal while they themselves failed to honour salient features of the agreement they signed with us over returning excess land to farmers in Singur.”

She wondered why the state government did not think of investing in infrastructure during its three decade long rule in the state.

Banerjee also criticised Tatas who she said “have money to publicise against us and there seems to be some politics behind their exit from the state”. She further emphasised that she only wanted a fair deal for the farmers.

 

On The Eve of Independence Day

`We must stand united against threats emanating from terrorism`

President Pratibha Patil addressing the nation on eve of Independence Day urged the people to work unitedly to realise their full strength and potential. She said that India is a conglomeration of a diversity of cultures, languages and religions but running through this is a unity which has given to us resilience and strength. “We must stand united against the threats emanating from terrorism. Terrorists, with their disruptive agenda, will never succeed in discouraging us from our resolve to build a strong India, or from working with our neighbours to eliminate this menace from our region, or from our commitment to forge co-operative relations with other countries across the world,” the 73-year-old President said. “The ideologues of terrorism have little respect for human life. They incite violence and mindless destruction,” she said. The President said she was confident that the concept of India that is functioning in unison in a milieu of a vast diversity will continue to define the country’s identity. “We should pause and reflect on how our conduct and our actions are promoting unity. We must ask ourselves whether our actions are contributing to strengthening of the national fabric and bringing about tolerant thinking. “We should demonstrate our ability to listen to each other to understand each other and if perceptions do not agree, give to the others the freedom to hold their views,” she said. Reminding the people that they have duties towards the country, society and family, said in discharging them there was “an obligation to act responsibly.” Patil also touched upon energy security in her speech and said “as a developing country our demands for energy are growing. We cannot let lack of energy become a constraint on our ability to deliver high levels of growth. “With the challenges of increased oil prices and climate change, the question of energy security confronts us. We need to look at energy mixes that are sustainable in the long run and are cleaner sources of energy, gradually making deliberate shift to renewable energy,” the President said. She said it should be country’s national mission to begin exploring ways in which new sources of energy can be harnessed viably. “Technologies increasing efficiency in energy-intensive sectors need to be developed…any contribution to save energy is a step towards environment protection and in saving the wide diversity of flora and fauna on the planet,” she said. Patil said due to the government’s efforts and perseverance many achievements have been made by the country in different. “But there are several tasks that await completion and new challenges that need to be addressed. A nation’s work never ends,” she said. Referring to the government’s flagship programmes for improving the lives of the people, the President said those involved in the implementation of development and social welfare schemes must work with dedication and zeal and without causing delays. “Implementation done in a transparent and accountable manner will ensure that welfare schemes reach the genuine beneficiaries in a timely manner. Thus, preventing corruption in our system and enhancing efficiency in governance,” she said. Advocating special attention for the development of agriculture and rural areas, Patil said no one should forget that the food security of the country is dependent on the growth of its agriculture. “Seventy per cent of our population lives in villages and is dependent on agriculture. Therefore, the development of India will not be comprehensive or complete unless there is development in the rural areas and increased agriculture productivity,” she added. The President said social evils like dowry, female feoticide, discrimination against girl child, domestic violence, tobacco, drugs and alcohol were blocking the country from becoming a progressive nation. “We must look at a nationwide addiction focussed eradication programme. Eliminating addiction and fighting social evils can be a slow process as it involves changing attitudes,” she added. Stressing for inclusion of women in development programmes, the President said “real development cannot take root if it bypasses women, who represent the very pivot around which social change takes shape.”

 

Death toll rises in India blasts

Death toll rises in India blasts

The death toll in the serial bomb blasts that rocked the western Indian city of Ahmedabad on Saturday has risen to 49, police say. Indian PM Manmohan Singh is due to arrive in the city to assess the situation and visit the injured. Indian cities are on high alert as police hunt for those responsible for the blasts which wounded over 100. Ahmedabad was the scene of sectarian violence between Hindus and Muslims in early 2002 which left hundreds dead. Mr Singh will be accompanied by Congress Party leader Sonia Gandhi and the federal interior minister Shivraj Patil during his visit to Ahmedabad. Meanwhile, police say they have arrested one man and detained several people for questioning. On Saturday, 17 blasts struck residential areas, market places, public transport and hospitals within an hour. A number of unexploded bombs have since been found. It is thought the explosions were caused by crudely-made devices containing ball-bearings and other shrapnel, hidden in boxes and on bicycles. E-mail claim Local media reports say a little-known Islamist group, the Indian Mujahideen, has claimed responsibility in an e-mail to a television channel. Police have carried out a raid on a house near India’s financial capital Mumbai (Bombay), where they believe the e-mail originated from. A similar e-mail was sent to news channels by the Indian Mujahideen group after blasts in the western city of Jaipur in May which killed more than 60 people. The attack in Ahmedabad – Gujarat state’s commercial capital – came a day after several devices went off in the southern city of Bangalore. The government has deployed an extra 3,000 security personnel in Delhi, and other cities, including Mumbai and Jaipur, are on alert. The bombs in Ahmedabad were detonated with timers in two phases, the first at about 1830 (1300 GMT), officials said. The second series of explosions caught some victims and their helpers arriving at hospitals. At least two unexploded bombs were later defused in Ahmedabad and sent for forensic examination. Another two unexploded bombs were also found in the nearby city of Surat. India’s leaders have appealed for calm. President Pratibha Patil urged people to remain “steadfast in this testing time and maintain peace and harmony”. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also condemned the attacks, and urged people to remain calm and maintain communal harmony. Narendra Modi, the controversial chief minister of Gujarat, said the “land of Mahatma Gandhi has been bloodied by terrorists whom we shall not spare”. “Terrorists are waging a war against India. We should be prepared for a long battle against terrorism,” he warned. Mr Modi has been accused of failing to protect Muslims in the riots in Gujarat during 2002 in which at least 1,000 people – most of them Muslims – died, including many in Ahmedabad. The violence erupted when a fire broke out on a train carrying Hindu pilgrims, killing at least 59 people.

Police checks are being carried out at key sites across the country

Ahmedabad Bomb Blast Images…