Samal sending secret reports to TD?

Even after Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy appointing a high level committee to look into the allegations made by former Vigilance Commissioner R C Samal, a lot of heat and dust is still being raised by the Opposition parties, particularly, the Telugu Desam.

Samal issue has come in handy for party president N Chandrababu Naidu, who is running short of ideas to run down the Congress government. His Palle Palleku programme hardly had any response from the people. So, it wants to make a ruckus using Samal's so-called sensational report. Day and in day out, the TD leaders issuing statements on Samal episode, as if there is no other issue of public concern. They even went to the extent of submitting a memorandum to Governor N D Tiwari demanding a special Assembly session to discuss the Samal report.

According to TD sources, Samal has been in close touch with Chandrababu Naidu for quite some time. He reportedly forwarded several secret and classified documents pertaining to the corruption allegations against many bureaucrats and political leaders to the Telugu Desam. In return, the TD reportedly promised him with a plum post, if it comes to power. The TD wants to sling mud at Rajasekhara Reddy government during the Assembly session using these reports, sources said.

BJP desperate to make Ramasethu a poll issue

Bharathiya Janata Party is very much disappointed with the Centre for withdrawing its affidavit in the Supreme Court (which declared Lord Rama as a myth) and taking corrective measures within the UPA to ensure that the matter doesn't precipitate.

For, the BJP was of a fond hope that the Sethusamudram project would go ahead as usual and there would be ample fodder for the party leaders to be in the limelight. BJP senior leader and Rajya Sabha member, M Venkaiah Naidu reportedly told a few close media friends in Nellore the other day that it would have been advantageous BJP, had the project been continued as it was. There would have been every possibility that Ram would become an election plank for the BJP.

But with the UPA government retreating its step, the BJP has become desperate. It is still trying to make it a big political issue. Venkaiah Naidu is of the view that the issue would subside only if the Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh apologised to the people of the

country for the imbroglio related to Ramasethu. He hopes that the issue would snowball into a bigger controversy, now that DMK chief M Karunanidhi's controversial remarks on the existence of Ram and Ramasethu.

So, BJP desperately to get back its life before the next elections. Will that happen?

Fact Sheet: TD leaders play all gimmict: TD leaders play all gimmicks to woo youthks to woo youth

With a fond hope that the mid-term elections to the Lok Sabha as well as the State Assembly would be held some time early next year, Telugu Desam leaders are gearing up themselves in their own way and wooing the electorate, especially the youth, in their favour.

TD president N Chandrababu Naidu himself has set this trend by offering cash incentives to students and paying ex gratia to the victims of bomb blasts, flyover collapse, highway accidents and even the flood affected.

The TD leaders in the districts, who are keen on entering the Assembly and Parliament in the next elections, are following the suit. Take for instance, former MP from Anakapalle and present Telgu Desam MLA from Chodavaram Ganta Srinivasa Rao. He has started spending his personal money by distributing "unemployment fund" among the educated unemployed youth and students and is also paying to the Dwcra members and poor farmers of his constituency. He is spending about Rs 2 lakh-Rs 3 lakh per month on these donations. He says the unemployed youth can make use of this money for applying for jobs, traveling and other expenses. Similarly, the students are being paid scholarships and medals for their excellent performances. Of course, a request at the end of each such donation or scholarship: "please vote for me in the next elections"!!

Twenty20: India beat England by 18 runs

Stuart Broad was hit for six sixes in an over as England's World Twenty20 bid ended with an 18-run defeat by India.

The young seamer was savaged in the 19th over by Yuvraj Singh, who made 58 off 16 balls, as India amassed 218-4.

South Africa's win over New Zealand had already eliminated England and, despite some brave hitting, they were always struggling to keep up with the rate.

The top five all got starts, with Vikram Solanki making 43 and Kevin Pietersen 39, as they ended on 200-6.

But this game will be remembered solely for the dramatic events in the final over of Broad's spell - which leaked 60 runs in four overs - as Yuvraj made the fastest fifty in international history, off 12 balls.

The ball disappeared with tremendous velocity over wide long-on, backward square-leg, extra-cover, backward point and mid-wicket while Broad and skipper Paul Collingwood played the role of startled rabbits.

It ultimately proved the difference between the teams - and yet there was no hint of the carnage to come when the openers cautiously went about garnering 23 in the first four overs.

They stepped on the gas to make more than double that in the next 24 balls as Gautam Gambhir pulled Andrew Flintoff and Virender Sehwag flogged Dimitri Mascarenhas over extra-cover for sixes.

England should have had a breakthrough when Sehwag sliced Collingwood to fine third man on 39, where Mascarenhas over-ran to miss the chance.

The right-hander profited by hammering over backward point for six and thrashing through the covers to reach 50 off 38 balls, while Gambhir got to his fifty off two fewer deliveries by punishing a Chris Tremlett full-toss.

Tremlett, who had come in for some severe punishment in his first appearance had two moments of joy when he knocked back Sehwag's leg-stump and cleaned up Robin Uthappa.

However, any suggestions that the innings might fizzle out were truly shattered by Yuvraj, who left England needing to hit the leather off just about everything from the start.

There was some humour at the end when England began the final over needing 36, and Luke Wright helped them get half of those before being brilliantly caught on the boundary by Harbhajan.

But, ultimately, they had no-one with Yuvraj's midas touch.