Will Dikshit, Gill & Kalmadi run on CWG tracks? : BJP

New Delhi, Jul 19 (UNI) Lamenting the dropping out of top athletes for participation in the upcoming Commonwealth Games, the Delhi BJP today quipped if the Chief Minister, along with her counterparts, now run on the tracks.

''Will Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Union Sports and Youth Affairs minister M S Gill and Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi now run on the tracks constructed for the Games?,'' Delhi BJP president Vijender Gupta
said.

He said a notion has been created in the minds of people outside the country due to which they were not taking the Games seriously and this was hurting the image of the nation.

''The Delhi Government has been misguiding people for long. Crores of rupees have already been spent on the preparation for the Games, for which only 76 days have left and still the city is not ready,'' Mr Gupta said.

He even criticised the government for not even taking responsibility for the inconvenience caused to the people ahead of the Games.

''The roads get waterlogged, traffic remains choked, frequent power cuts, inadequate water supply even after three-hour-long rains. Is the Chief Minister going to showcase 'tooti-footi, khudi huyi dilli' (broken and dug up Delhi) to our foreign
guests?'' the Delhi BJP chief questioned.

The 12-day sporting extravaganza will be the country's biggest sporting event since the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi.

Mr Gill had yesterday expressed disappointment over the series of pullouts from international athletes for the Commonwealth Games for which world class stadia have been built in the city.

The top athletes who have pulled out of the mega-event include Jamaican sprinters Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell, Australian tennis player Lleyton Hewitt, British tennis ace Andy Murray, and British cyclist Chris Hoy.

Govt using sub-standard material for CWG infrastructure: BJP

New Delhi, Jul 14 (UNI) The BJP today alleged that the Delhi Government was using sub-standard material to build the infrastructure for the Commonwealth Games resulting in deaths of people.

When heavy rains lashed the city two days back, life was thrown out of gear with waterlogging and traffic snarls causing rain-related accidents in many areas.

Walls collapsed, trees were uprooted, electric poles fell down and roads caved in across the capital taking lives of at least 17 people till now.

''The government is responsible for the deaths due to rains in the city. They are using low quality material in making buildings, roads and other infrastructure
and so taking lives of people,'' Delhi BJP president Vijender Gupta told mediapersons here today.

Earlier, he had even demanded that Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit should resign. ''The government has spent crores of rupees for the infrastructure development for the Games. But the heavy rains have exposed the government's preparation,'' Mr Gupta said. The Chief Minister should resign from her post owing moral responsibility for the deaths, he added.

BJP to submit white paper on CWG preparations to LG on Aug 3

New Delhi, Jul 14 (UNI) Calling it a ''game of corruption'' between the Delhi Government and corporates involved in preparation for Commonwealth Games' venues, BJP today said it will submit a white paper to the Delhi Lieutenant Governor exposing how the people in the city have been cheated by the government.

A delegation of the Delhi Pradesh BJP, headed by its president Vijender Gupta, initiated a tour to all the Games' venues to ''bring into light their real condition in front of the citizens and pressurise the government to speed up their tasks at least now.''

''We will visit all the venues one by one on day-to-day basis in next 15 days and exactly two months before the Games, that is on August 3, we will submit a white
paper to Delhi Lieutenant Governor Tejender Khanna in this regard,'' Mr Gupta told UNI here.

On the first day of the tour, Mr Gupta along with other senior party leaders, including former Delhi Chief Minister Madanlal Khurana and former party legislator Vijay Jolly, visited two places in Central Delhi -- Shivaji Stadium and subway in front of Super Bazar in Connaught Place.

Mr Gupta added that the BJP is ready to provide every kind of support to the government in the run up to the Games. ''They never asked us for any help. They should let us know if they have anything less, be it volunteers. But they should not put the nation's pride on stake,'' he said.

Accusing the government of mismanagement, Mr Khurana asked, ''what was the need of destroying the whole Shivaji Stadium,? Whatever they are, building was already there. They just had to renovate it a little.''

Mr Jolly blamed the government of losing a golden opportunity to build the infrastructure in the city. ''They are just destroying and remaking all the existing stadiums present in the capital. They have not build even one on their own,'' he said.

Twist in the wrist: Gavaskar's wrist surprises Gadkari

Jhinjholi, Haryana, Jul 10 (UNI) BJP president Nitin Gadkari's misconception that men with small wrists could not play cricket went for a toss when he met India's record-setting batsman Sunil Gavaskar.

Sharing his experiences from his heydays with party workers here, Mr Gadkari recollected his first meeting with the former Indian captain. ''When I first saw Gavaskar, I was surprised to see his wrist. How could a man with such a small wrist become such a great batsman?'' he said with a touch of incredulity.

The BJP leader confessed that till then he had believed that only those with sturdy wrists could bat well, the reason for his fascination with West Indian players.

However, his misconception was cleared when the little master explained to him confidently that it was all a game of skill. ''Gavaskar told me that he had been trained in batting, so was able to play that well. When you know your job, the game is won automatically,'' he said.

Mr Gadkari cited this incident to illustrate to party workers the importance of training for success in any field -- be it cricket or politics.

He was addressing a gathering at the party's ongoing training camp organised to make them well-versed in the BJP ideology, conduct and to imbibe the feeling of nationalism to become a dedicated politician.

Train CRPF properly to fight naxals: Gadkari

Jhinjholi, Haryana, Jul 10 (UNI) Security forces are not able to curb naxalism because of improper training, BJP president Nitin Gadkari has said.

''If our security forces are given good and proper training, then they will be able to handle naxals and maoists better and control the situation,'' Mr Gadkari said.

He was speaking while addressing the gathering here last evening during the party's ongoing training programme, 'Pravesh Prashikshan Varg', for its party workers.

Mr Gadkari added that if soldiers would be trained then only war could be won. Citing an example of how important training is, he said, ''Only a Black Cat Commando can sit in a car running at 30 km/hr but not a policeman. This is because the latter is not trained for it.''

The BJP president did not miss the chance to attack UPA government and reiterated that the Centre has been a total failure in anti-Naxal offensive. He even claimed that the BJP can eradicate the problem altogether if it comes to power.

With the continous naxal menace, it has been realised that the securtiy forces have not been able to control the situation as they are not trained in gorilla warfare as required. Last Wednesday, armed Maoists attacked the police station and forest beat house at Daitari in Keonjhar district of Andhra Pradesh and set both establishments on fire.

They later abducted the ASI and left posters warning that more such attacks would occur in the near future to avenge the killing of Cherikuri Rajkumar alias Azad by Andhra Pradesh police.

No question of apology for remarks on Afzal Guru: Gadkari

Jhinjholi, Haryana, Jul 9 (UNI) Refusing to apologise for his comment on Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, BJP national president Nitin Gadkari today said the people who kept his files closed for more than 4 years should instead apologise to the families of the martyrs who lost their lives in the attack on December 13, 2001.

''Why should I apologise for the remarks? There is no question of my apology,'' Mr Gadkari said while reacting to the demand of the Congress that he should apologise for calling Afzal Guru, who has not been hanged even after six years of being awarded death sentence by the court, as the ''damaad'' (son-in-law) of the
Congress.

''I thank the media that it highlighted my statement. Because of you truth on the issue has come in front of the public, '' he told mediapersons here at the launch of the BJP's training programme to energise the youth for the struggle against ''wrong
policies of the Congress''.

During a public meeting at Dehradun yesterday, Mr Gadkari had asked the Congress why it was seeking to protect the convict in the Parliament attack like a ''son-in-law''.

No power cuts during Commonwealth Games, assures Dikshit

New Delhi, Jul 1 (UNI) Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today assured that there will be no power shortage during upcoming Commonwealth Games while cautioned all private discoms to upgrade their systems.

''There will be no power shortage and no loadshedding during the Commonwealth Games. Even these days, when the temperature is soaring, there have been not much complaints of such shortage and we have been able to meet the challenges,'' Ms Dikshit told mediapersons.

The Chief Minister stated this almost a week after she directed the power distribution companies to ensure uninterrupted power supply to meet the rising demand.

Admitting to the two major power projects at Bawana and Jhajjar running behind schedule, the Chief Minister explained that there have been certain problems faced by the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) due to which the delay has
occurred.

However, she maintained that the national capital will face no power shortage anytime during the Games and also claimed that in next five years the city will be able to produce three times more power than present.

''We have achieved such great heights and I am hopeful that in next five years, Delhi will be able to produce 15,000 MW of electricity and may sell to other states too,'' Ms Dikshit said.

Giving a word of caution to the power companies, Delhi Transco Ltd (DTL), Indraprastha Power Generation Company Ltd(IPGCL) and Delhi Power Company Ltd (DPCL), she said there was a need to upgrade the systems being used currently. ''In times when the nature doesn't help us, we have to perform better and for that our systems have to be perfect,'' she said.

She added that losses due to power theft has already come down to around 19 per cent from 52 per cent. ''But we are aiming to reduce it further to at least 11 per cent,'' she said.

The Chief Minister was speaking on the sidelines of the eighth foundation day of the three discoms celebrated here today. Delhi Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta and IPGCL MD R K Gaur were among the other dignitaries present on the occasion.

IPGCL spokesperson said the work at Bawana power plant is in full swing. ''It is expected that at least two gas turbines will be commissioned before the Commonwealth Games,'' he said. He expressed hope that the first unit of Aravali Power Company
Ltd which is a joint venture of IPGCL with Haryana Power Generation Corporation Ltd (HPGCL) and NTPC will also start generating power before the Games.

P Sainath criticises vast disconnect between media & masses

New Delhi, Jun 30 (UNI) Calling it a ''structural compulsion on news media industry to lie'', Palagummi Sainath, Indian development journalist today alleged that the media has become a corporate entity which is massively disconnected from the interest of masses.

Be it reporting about the fuel price hike, Bhopal Gas Tragedy or farmer suicides, the Ramon Magsaysay award winner condemned the media for reporting in interest of few rich class people.

''The fuel prices have been raised at a time when people have already been reeling under high food prices. Instead of becoming the voice of the masses, the media has been congratulating the government for championing the cause,'' Mr Sainath said.

He was speaking while addressing the gathering during IGNOU Silver Jubilee Lecture on ''Mass Media - But, where are the masses?'' at the University Campus here.

Lambasting the government for its decision to hike the prices of petro-products, he said, ''The prices were raised at such a time when the Prime Minister was at Toronto speaking about inclusive growth.''

All the conveniences of the rich like air travel, cars, computers and cell phones have become cheaper while the necessities of the poor including food, oil, among others, have become hundreds times expensive, he added.

Referring to the Bhopal Gas tragedy, he said instead of attacking on the criminals, the editorials have been attacking the activist industry. ''Their entire approach is based on writing about Warren Anderson and his return to the country which is least of the issues,'' he said.

The rural reporter also brought out the coverage given to the suicide of model Viveka Babajee. ''The print media has been giving two pages daily to the updates in the model suicide while they never showed that keen interest in reporting about the farmer suicides,'' he said. Even on front pages, her suicide took similar space as the winning of Indonesia Open Super Series by Saina Nehwal, he added.

However, the renowned journalist expressed hope that the upcoming young journalists, especially from the rural area, are attached to their land and people and would surely bring about the required turn around in the industry.