20 July, 2013

BJP chief claims English bad for India, triggers outrage

BJP chief Rajnath Singh has stirred up a huge controversy with his comment that English has caused a great loss to India by eroding its cultural values and stymieing the growth of Sanskrit in the country. The comment was greeted with derision by intellectuals and political leaders on Friday.

A nybody who thinks that the growth of English has been a bane for India is seriously out of touch with reality. In the era of globalization, it is one of the critical advantages India has vis-a-vis countries like China. Indeed, China has itself recognized this and is seeking to catch up in a hurry. In any case, to blame one language or culture for the sorry state of another language is to miss the point. There is no contradiction between the growth of English and the thriving of native cultures. English represents, for most Indians, the language of opportunity, while their mother tongues are often the language of expression. The BJP chief should see English as cause for celebration rather than mourning.

BJP announces 2014 poll bugle, sets up 20 campaign subpanels

The BJP on Friday announced an 11-member campaign committee headed by Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and 20 campaign panels to deal with manifesto drafting, vision document, new voters and media management among others.

The campaign committee includes BJP CMs Shivraj Chauhan, Raman Singh and Manohar Parrikar besides central leaders Murli Manohar Joshi, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj and Venkaiah Naidu.

The campaign committee does not include party veteran L K Advani who had vehemently protested Modi's appointment as head of the panel at the BJP's national executive in Goa.

Advani's exclusion is seen to be due to his seniority. He is part of election-related discussions as a member of the BJP parliamentary board which in its meeting on Thursday cleared the panels and the campaign committee.

The media management committee comprises Gujarat leader Amit Shah and Sudhanshu Trivedi - political advisor to BJP chief Rajnath Singh - besides Jaitley and Swaraj.

The manifesto committee is headed by former party president Murli Manohar Joshi and includes senior leaders Jaswant Singh and Yashwant Sinha.

BJP's vision document will be drafted by Rajnath Singh's predecessor Nitin Gadkari. Others on this committee include Gadkari's associate Vinay Sahasrabuddhe and O P Kohli.

Karnataka leader Ananth Kumar will be in-charge of the committee entrusted with planning of rallies, while devising strategies to connect with "new voters" has been assigned to Amit Shah with others including Amritsar MP Navjyot Sidhu and Poonam Mahajan, daughter of late Pramod Mahajan.

BJP general secretary Dharmendra Pradhan is in-charge of public outreach.

Reaching out to different sections of professionals will be overseen by RSS appointee Murlidhar Rao and Vinay Katiyar. A committee for "special contact" will be headed by Gadkari and election-related organization is the charge of Ramlal.

Rajya Sabha MP Mukhtar Naqvi is in-charge of logistics like travel and programmes while Bihar leader Rajiv Rudy has been given charge of booth management.

Another bad day for Decision Review System

The review system was the subject of unwanted attention at Lord's again. TOI points out why...

Phil Hughes c Prior b Bresnan

The No. 4 batsman chased a wide delivery off Bresnan and there was a meek appeal from the 'keeper and slip fielders for a caught-behind verdict. Umpire Kumar Dharmasena though raised his finger, prompting the batsman to call for a review. While the stump microphone did pick up a sound, the Hot Spot replays proved inconclusive. Third umpire Tony Hill, however, decided there was enough audio evidence to send the batsman on his way. Hughes understandably was disappointed.

3rd ODI: Jason Holder's heroics earn West Indies a tie against Pakistan

West Indies number 11 Jason Holder smashed 14 runs off the final over to earn his side a dramatic tie with Pakistan in the third one-day international at Beausejour Stadium in St Lucia on Friday.Bungling Pakistan wicketkeeper Umar Akmal had the opportunity to run out the player off the final ball but missed a simple throw from the boundary to allow the stranded Holder to make his ground and level the scores.

Pakistan looked to be heading for victory having posted a modest 229 for six wickets in their 50 overs, but the final West Indian pair of Holder and Kemar Roach struck 24 off 13 balls to leave the five-match series tied at 1-1.