Dhoni to lead in ODIs; Pathan, Harbhajan recalled

Mahendra Singh Dhoni Tuesday replaced Rahul Dravid as captain for the One-day International home series against Australia and Pakistan, while Irfan Pathan and Harbhajan Singh come back to the side.

Dhoni, 26, is currently leading India at the Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa. Dravid, who had opted out of the Twenty20, had made himself unavailable for the captaincy to concentrate on his batting after the recent tour of England.

Announcing a 15-member team for the first three ODIs against Australia at a press conference, cricket board secretary Niranjan Shah said here that Yuvraj Singh, who is senior to Dhoni, would be the vice-captain.

"We thought he was the best man for the job. He is a good (Twenty20) captain and it is the right time to groom him," said Dilip Vengsarkar, chairman of the selection committee.

Referring to speculation that Sachin Tendulkar had declined to lead the ODI team, he said that no one was offered the captaincy before Dhoni was finally picked.

Rohit Sharma, Ajit Agarkar and Munaf Patel, who were part of the team that recently toured England, were dropped for the first three matches.

The three ODIs will be played at Bangalore (Sep 29) Kochi (Oct 2) and Hyderabad (Oct 5).

The team for the remaining four one-dayers will be announced later.

A hard-hitting batsman who can change his game according to the situation, the Ranchi-based Dhoni has played 84 ODIs since making his debut against Bangladesh at Dhaka in 2004 and scored 2,477 runs at 44.23. In 20 Tests, he has scored 1,019 runs at 36.39.

Board president Sharad Pawar, who approved the team, endorsed the choice of Dhoni and the team as a whole.

"Anything that takes the team forward should be welcomed. We also have to see that the young generation is given opportunity and if the captain is also young that's good," he said.

The seven-match One-day International series against Australia will be played from Sep 29 to Oct 17.

The Pakistani team will visit India for five ODIs and three Test matches to be played between Nov 6 and Dec 12.

The captain for the Test series will be named later, said Vengsarkar.

On the recall of left-arm pacer Pathan and off-spinner Harbhajan, both of whom are playing Twenty20 World Championship, he said they have done well to merit a recall.

On Virender Sehwag, who is also playing in South Africa but was again ignored for the ODIs, Vengsarkar said that since the team was only for three matches, "he will get his opportunity" later in the series.

Team: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain/wicket keeper), Yuvraj Singh (vice captain), Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Dinesh Karthik, Robin Uthappa, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Sreesanth, Piyush Chawla, Ramesh Powar, Zaheer Khan and Rudra Pratap Singh.

Australia in India
Date	Match	Venue
Tue, Sep 25	Australia team arrival
Sat, Sep 29	First ODI	Bangalore
Tue, Oct 2	Second ODI	Kochi
Fri, Oct 5	Third ODI	Hyderabad
Mon, Oct 8	Fourth ODI	Guwahati
Thu, Oct 11	Fifth ODI	Baroda
Sun, Oct 14	Sixth ODI	Nagpur
Wed, Oct 17	Seventh ODI	Mumbai

Pakistan in India
Date	Match	Venue
Fri, Nov 2	Pakistan team arrival
Tue, Nov 6	First ODI	Faridabad
Fri, Nov 9	Second ODI	Mohali
Mon, Nov 12	Third ODI	Kanpur
Thu, Nov 15	Fourth ODI	Gwalior
Sun, Nov 18	Fifth ODI	Jaipur
Thu, Nov 22 - Mon, Nov 26	First Test	Delhi
Fri, Nov 30 to Tue, Dec 4	Second Test	Kolkata
Sat, Dec 8 - Wed, Dec 12	Third Test	Bangalore

Gaddar exposes himself before Vijayashanti

Revolutionary singer Gaddar, who has a lot of reputation as the champion of the downtrodden, has exposed his intentions to come into politics by joining hands with a political turncoat like A Narendra and a fraud like Vijayashanti.

Gaddar bared his chest and danced along with Vijayashanti on the dais at Osmania University and promised to be a part of the Telangana United Front and lead the Telangana movement. According to sources, the entire show at Osmania University was sponsored by the Congress leaders themselves with behind the screen support from Chief Minister's advisor K V P Ramachandra Rao. And it is an open secret that Narendra, Vijayashanti and Jayaprakash Reddy have the blessings of Y S Rajasekhar Reddy.

So, one wonders what credibility Narendra and Vijayashanti has in the Telangana front. Narendra is able to avoid inquiry by the CBI into the fake passport scandal only because of the support of Pranab Mukherjee through YSR. And Vijayashanti only makes guest appearances once in a while, on the occasions like Bonalu festival and Telangana liberation day. What would Gaddar get by joining hands with them is anybody's guess. Only thing is that Gaddar himself will lose his credibility.

Of KCR and his communal politics

Many people in Telangana believe that Telangana Rashtra Samithi president K Chandrasekhar Rao has an unflinching commitment for Telangana State formation. But many others do not know that gaining immediate political gains is more important to him than achieving separate Statehood for Telangana.

If one were to read between the lines his unusual silent on Telangana Liberation Day on September 17, one can realize that his prime objective was not to recall the glory of erstwhile independent Hyderabad State, but to gain immediate benefit for the TRS in the forthcoming Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Elections. Hyderabadi Muslims still feel that the end of Nizam rule would mean loss of independence for Muslims and therefore, they do not appreciate the political parties celebrating this Hyderabad liberation day.

And KCR, who is eyeing on GHMC hot seat, does not want to antagonize the Muslims. Therefore, by staying away from Hyderabad Liberation Day celebrations, he wants to woo the Muslim community. He argues that what matters now is not celebrating the past incident, but re-liberating the Telangana from the clutches of Andhra rulers. And he wants the Muslims to take part in regaining their past glory by liberating Telangana. That's KCR and his communal politics!

Idol Manufacturers and Haleem Makers Are Weeping

The Ganesh Chaturdhi has left a lull this time at the idol vendors. Vendors are saying that the sale of idols is very less this ear when compared to previous years.

"Every year we notice 20 percent of growth rate in the sales of Ganesh idols. But this time the sale is tremendously less. We have thousands of idols at us those weren't sold out. The main reason for all this is the recent bomb blast incident in Hyderabad. People haven't shown much interest in many years to celebrate the festival in bigger way. Majority people also took away only smaller size idols this time. Police is also keen in giving permissions for public mandapams and that is another reason for the fewer sales of idols", said an idol maker with dull voice.

Same is being told by a Haleem maker near Charminar. "We are not seeing crowds in big way as we saw in previous years. People are afraid of bomb blasts. We used to enjoy a great customer count with the interest shown by our Hindu brothers towards Haleem. But this time, even Muslims are found in less number when compared to previous years. The macca masjid blasts and lumbini blasts are still frightening many", he said.

Tania Sachdev won the Asian Women's Chess Championship

Tania Sachdev won the Asian Women's Chess Championship on Tuesday i.e. on 11/9/07, at Tehran by beating Chinese Ju Wenjun. She is also a Grandmaster-norm holder. She joined Women Grandmaster (WGM) Club in 2005.

Isn't she cute?

Spotlight: IITs Started New Political Party

This is the revolution that started from IIT students. They have started a new political party from UP. See what they say:

"Bharat Punarnirman Dal is a political party, founded by a group of IITians and other such individuals and professionals, with the objective of making "Bharathvarsha a prosperous and powerful nation and re-establish it as the world-leader, a position, which the nation rightfully deserves".

The formation of this political organization is the culmination of the efforts taken by a group of individuals from different parts of the country and from different walks of life towards realizing a long nurtured vision of making Bharat a prosperous and powerful Nation.

After years of study and hands-on experience at the grassroots level it became clear to the group that without reforming the political system any attempt to reform the society or the governance will be futile. Soon it became clear that the problem is not the lack of resources but it is inefficient management of the resources. In other words in order to get a lasting and widespread solution instead of trying to solve the problems and issues themselves it is better to improve the problem solving mechanism. This problem solving mechanism or the System that governs the country is already there and has sufficient reach and resources but because of inefficiencies at every level of this system it has become ineffective.

Bharat Punarnirman Dal was founded with a belief that qualitative improvement at the topmost level will be reflected throughout the structure that lies beneath them. Thus this political organization is an attempt to fundamentally reform the political system, which produces the top level managers – the politicians, by introducing quality and dynamism at the political level so as the country is run by politicians by choice not by chance or by birth".

Buzz: No more vigilance commissioners?

A major fallout of the sensational Samal report is that there will be more delay in the appointment of his successor. The powers that be have realised post the Samal revelations that the occupant of the position has the potential to embarrass any official or minister anytime. The grapevine has it that the chief minister has directed that the process of appointing the next vigilance commissioner be put on hold. As per rules, the post cannot be given as additional charge to anyone and that it will remain vacant until a full time incumbent is appointed by the governor. How long that wait could be is anybody’s guess.

Behind The Scene: Naidu instigated Samal?

Former Chief Minister and Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu could be the brain behind former Vigilance Commissioner R C Samal's sensational allegations against the corrupt bureaucrats, police officials and politicians.

This was the suspicion expressed by none other than Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy. After remaining tightlipped over Samal's allegations for more than two days, YSR appeared before the media and refuted the allegations. He suspected that Naidu must have instigated Samal to make such wild allegations against the Chief Minister's Office and certain ministers only to defame the government. "Earlier, Naidu provoked Christian Evangelist K A Paul to make all sorts of baseless against me and my government. Now, he must have used Samal to fire at us again," he expressed doubt.

There is every truth in YSR's observations, since Naidu is capable of doing such gimmicks. That Samal tried to defame the YSR government by saying that it had withdrawn all the cases against several IAS officers, who were found guilty by the previous TD regime, itself shows that Samal had an understanding with Naidu. Samal needs an explanation for this.

Fact Sheet: Naidu's double talk on corruption

Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu, who is crying from roof tops about the high-level corruption in Y S Rajasekhar Reddy government, did not take any action against the corrupt officials pointed out by the Vigilance Commission and ACB during his nine-year Telugu Desam regime.

The Chief Minister pointed out that the previous Telugu Desam government had taken action against only four All India Service Officers in nine years, while the Congress government took action against 13 officers in three years including three officers who have been compulsorily retired. "No raids were conducted against them during TD rule where as we have raided homes and offices of 5 AIS offices including Vizag rural SP and IPS official Murali for the first time," he said.

He alleged that the Chief Minister's Office during the Telugu Desam regime had suppressed ACB reports. The Naidu government had blackmailed officers and extracted work from them. On the other hand, the present Congress government is taking action against 128 officers, including IAS, IPS and IFS officers, out of 800-900 All India Service Officers, against whom the Vigilance Commission had recommended action.

Vinyaka chaturdi Wishes……..!!!

Fact Sheet: Babu spreading panic among people!

Former chief minister and Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu used to repeat quite often, when he was in power, that tourism is the best "ism" and there's no "ism" but tourism in this modern day world. Now that he is in the Opposition, Chandrababu Naidu is spreading panic among people that Hyderabad has become unsafe for tourists. He went on record saying that the governments of the USA and Australia had issued travel advisories warning their citizens to be cautious during their visit to Andhra Pradesh in view of bomb blasts. The TD supremo also said that since people from other States too had died in the blast and the collapse of the flyover bridge at Panjagutta, State governments in India will also issue similar travel advisories.

Chandrababu Naidu is attempting to derive political mileage saying that the law and order situation is very bad in the Congress ruled State. He claimed that he had brought international repute to Hyderabad and Andhra Pradesh through developments.

What Chandrababu Naidu has forgotten is that his statements are bringing a bad name to Hyderabad and Andhra Pradesh. In case the Telugu Desam returns to power in the State, Chandrababu Naidu then will have a Herculean task before him to convince people that everything is ok with Hyderabad. Then people will not believe him. For the sake of petty politics and political ego, Chandrababu Naidu wants to depict Hyderabad as a bad city.

Bill Clinton, Tony Blair and Chandrababu Naidu

Former chief minister and Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu is adept at carving out an image for himself. In his recent interaction with mediapersons at NTR Bhavan, Chandrababu Naidu claimed that then US president Bill Clinton chose to visit Hyderabad after reading about the "vision" of Chandrababu Naidu and the "progress" of the State during the TD rule. He said Clinton read about Hyderabad, Telugu Desam and Andhra Pradesh in Wall Street Journal and Time and hence decided to see the "development" himself.

Chandrababu Naidu did not stop at this. He went on to say that then British prime minister Tony Blair during his visit to Hyderabad told him that he had heard about Hyderabad through Bill Clinton.

If one were to believe what Babu says, Bill Clinton and Tony Blair had nothing else to do except discussing about Hyderabad. For these two big and powerful imperialist nations, a big country like India has no place in their agenda. When India does not matter to them, does Hyderabad matter?

But Chandrababu Naidu wants us all to believe.

Tsunami alert in AP after quake hits Indonesia

The State government has sounded a high alert of a possible Tsunami in the coastal belt after a severe earthquake hit Indonesia.

Severe earthquake hit Indonesia and there are reports that Tsunami also may ensure. There are also reports that Tsunami may hit Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy who has just returned from a tour of Khammam, immediately spoke to the Chief Secretary and Commissioner, Disaster Management.

Since Coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh were also put on high alert on the threat of Tsunami, he asked them to take necessary advance measures. Following this the District Collectors of the Coastal district have been alerted on the Tsunami and asked them to instruct the fishermen not to venture into the sea.

The Collectors were told to ask the fishermen who have ventured into the sea to return immediately. The Collectors have been put on high alert to be ready to evacuate people from the low lying areas. The Chief Minister asked the Chief Secretary, Commissioner, Disaster Management, Collectors and other officials to constantly monitor the situation and be ready for relief measures as and when necessary.

City Talk: 755 Sq.Yard plot for Rs 6 Cr in Nandagiri

HYDERABAD: The coveted 755.87 square yard plot atop Nandagiri Hills in Jubilee Hills went under the hammer for Rs 6.04 crore at an auction held by Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (Huda) here on Wednesday. Just three bidders participated in the open auction to own the prized plot from where one can get a panoramic view of the city. Though Huda fixed Rs 45,000 per square yard as the upset price, the land went for nearly Rs 80,000 per sq yard, raking in Rs 6.04 crore to the urban authority.

The bidding process started with Rs 66,000 and concluded at Rs 80,000 per sq. yard. There was fierce competition among the three bidders to own the north-facing plot, but Suchirindia Developers chief executive officer Y Kiron Kumar finally quoted the winning bid with Rs 80,000 per sq yard. "It was my dream to construct a good house on the hilltop. I wanted to own this plot irrespective of the price. My dream has come true,'' Y Kiron Kumar told media. At the auction, Jubilee Hills Cooperative House Building Society secretary T Devender Reddy bought a 920.92 sq yard plot at Huda Techno Enclave, Madhapur. He plans to exploit it for commercial purpose. Two bidders participated in the open auction. Huda fixed Rs 1 crore as EMD and Rs 45,000 per sq yard as upset price. Devender Reddy quoted Rs 73,000 per square yard and won the bid.

M/s Aditya Housing Infrastructure Limited, Hyderabad, bought plots under 'Individual', 'Group Housing' and 'Commercial' categories. Under 'Individual' categories, they bought plot nos 133 to 139 and in group housing from I to VII and one plot (C1) under commercial group at Tellapur. On the first day of the auction, Huda auctioned plots at Nandagiri Hills, Huda Heights Phase-II, Huda Techno Enclave, Asif Nagar (New), Ramachandrapuram Ringtown and Tellapur. Thirty-nine plots were bought by bidders and as a result Huda to earn Rs 100.54 crore. The auction would continue till September 17 at Huda's head office Paigah Palace.

Prashant murder case gets a new twist

The episode of realtor Prashant Reddy's death at the residence of K Venkateshwara Rao alias Venkat, son of PCC president K Kesava Rao, who has since resigned from his post, is turning curious and curiouser, with Venkat telling the police that family problems had compelled Prashant Reddy to commit suicide by shooting himself.

According to Venkat, Prashant Reddy has two wives -- one legal (Vilasini) and other illegal (Preethi), who used to quarrel among themselves frequently. This created a lot of mental tension for Prashant Reddy and this eventually led to his suicide. As if to buttress his argument, Prashant Reddy's second wife Preethi came into the scene from nowhere, exactly two days after the murder took place.

She is believed to have suffered a "chest pain" on listening to Prashant Reddy's death and she was admitted to a private hospital. Nobody is being allowed to meet her, as she is in an unconscious state.

But why this chest pain comes to these people only when some serious incident involving them, remains a mystery. Inquiries revealed that the powers-that-be are trying to hush up the case and mislead the investigation by bringing in Preethi,who must have had an affair with Prashant. Some high profile leaders had hectic deliberations with Preethi and use her as an important instrument in watering down the case. Efforts are also on to enter into an agreement with Vilasini to hush up the case, as had happened in the case of murder attempt on Bellamkonda Suresh by film hero Balakrishna. Ultimately, when there is no evidence, there would be no case. Anything is possible in politics!!

Behind The Scene: KK pays for his loose tongue

Finally, Pradesh Congress Committee president K Keshava Rao had to pay a heavy price for his loose tongue. In a bid to defend his rowdy son Venkat, who allegedly shot dead his friend Prashant Reddy, Kesava Rao tried to influence the investigation by saying it appeared to be a suicide, rather than a murder.

According to Gandhi Bhavan sources, Keshava Rao got a clear message from the Congress high command in Delhi to step down from the PCC presidentship. Within a couple of hours of he visiting Apollo Hospitals to call on his son and giving him a clean chit in the firing incident, Kesava Rao reportedly received a telephone call from K V P Ramachandra Rao, advisor to Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajasekhar Rao, asking him to put in his papers.

Party sources say that the Congress high command took a serious view of the incident on Sunday itself when the news of the shooting incident at Keshava Rao's son's residence in Jubilee Hills was on TV news channels. The Chief Minister and KVP virtually closed all options for Keshava Rao to find an escape route. When a couple of ministers and a few MLAs and MLCs called on him to discuss the issue, Keshava Rao initially put up a bold face, saying that his 'friends and well-wishers' in Hyderabad and Delhi had all told him that there was no need for him to resign. But with the party high command cracking the whip, he had no choice but to announce his resignation before rushing to Delhi.

Analysis: Who is the Next PCC President?

Now that PCC president K Kesava Rao quit his post with his image crest fallen, all speculations are on who would be his sucessor.

Television channels, as usual, have started churning out as many names as possible to score over their rivals -- from Nandi Yellaiah to Mallu Ravi to V Hanumantha Rao and so on. In fact, even before Kesava Rao submitted his resignation to Madam Sonia Gandhi, AICC incharge of AP Affairs Digvijay Singh has started bargaining with the probable candidates like Nandi Yellaiah, giving them all sorts of assurances.

But the key is in the hands of Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy, since he wants a non-controverial person and his loyalist to be in the PCC throne, as he doesn't want any confrontation with anyone during the election year.

The curious question that is doing rounds is whether the incumbent would be from Telangana or not. There has been a grumbling among the Congress leaders from coastal Andhra, as most of the PCC presidents in the recent past were from Telangana -- whether it was D Srinivas, M Satyanarayana Rao or Kesava Rao. They are demanding that this time, the chance should go to the Congress leader from coastal Andhra or Rayalaseema. But as things stand now, there are no serious and worthy candidates from these two regions, who can take all the Congress leaders along with him. But whether the Congress high command will listen to them in the wake of a serious demand for Telangana State formation remains to be seen.

Andhra Talk: Is This A Real Bad Time For Congress?

Is 'bad' getting big and shadowing 'good' if any, done by government? Has Satan entered the Congress party? Is the government getting negative feedback from majority sections of people followed by a few grave incidents? What the political analysts say about the present trend of politics? Is the situation at present going to be venom for Congress to lose its power in coming elections?

When asked a few people at random here are the impressions collected a few hours after the incident of flyover collapse in Punjagutta.

"If you ask now, the people would be anti-government. The flyover collapse is on the top news today. Adding to that the case of KK's son in the alleged murder of Realtor Prashant Reddy is also on the banner. Anti-Government feelings are all pervasive now. But just wait and ask people after a few months when there is silence everywhere. The feelings will be different. So, what I want to say is the feelings that people carry 4 months before elections will matter for the change of government. It is too early to decide now", said Ajay Sharma, a political analyst.

"It's the worst rule of government. The lava of corruption is erupting every where. The thirst for money of politicians is killing hundreds of people", said Jaya Prakash Narayan of Lok Satta.

Taking a different analysis, Radha Krishna, a political science professor says, "Everything was silent before 2004 elections. Chandrababu met with Alipiri incident and the so called sympathy wave would have been on maximum point if statistics were true. But statistics always say lies as per the adage, 'Lies-Damn Lies Statistics'. We have seen the result. Congress swept everything. So, we cannot analyze anything with this corruption, murders, terrorism etc. Everything is serendipity as per my observation".

That sounds a bit philosophical but some students in a college say, "It's a bad mark on government. People are afraid to come out for various reasons-be it terrorism or with the incidents like Punjagutta flyover. When people lose security feeling, then nothing stops government from losing the power. But the vote bank lies with government officials, employees and poor people. If they are satisfied by any means before elections, again the winning may be assured. Any way, it is too early to discuss all this".

Mixed and indecisive feelings are making rounds everywhere today in Hyderabad . Let us see how government reacts to all this and how it counters the questions posed by opposition parties.

Realtor shot dead by KK’s son Venkat?

Prashant Reddy a realtor was shot dead in an incident this evening at Jubilee hills in Hyderabd. PCC Chief K Keshava Rao’s son is said to have shot Prashant Reddy. The bullet pierced through Prashant’s brain. Venkat also got himself admitted in Apollo hospital. He is said to be in an unconscious stage. Police are not saying anything about the incident. The revolver however belongs to Venkat.

Initial repots said that Prashant’s wife had named Venkat as responsible for killing her husband. But she changed her statement a short while later and now says that Prashant might have committed suicide. Land disputes are said to be the reason behind the shootout. Prashant and Venkat are partners but they are reported to have entered into a scuffle after a party this afternoon. Meanwhile K Keshava Rao rushed to Apollo hospital a short while ago.

India drops to 6th, Sachin leaps to 12th in ODI chart

India drops to 6th, Tendulkar leaps to 12th in ICC ODI chart

DUBAI: In the wake of the series defeat in England, Team India dropped behind Pakistan to the sixth slot in the LG ICC ODI Championship table with the mild consolation being Sachin Tendulkar's rise to the 12th spot in the batting chart.

The 3-4 defeat in England cost Rahul Dravid's side two rating points in the LG ICC ODI Championship table and though both India and Pakistan sides have 108 points, the latter takes the fifth spot when the ratings are recalculated to three decimal places.

Personally, Tendulkar, however, has a lot to cheer about as he leapfrogs nine rungs to join South African Jacques Kallis in the 12th spot.

The Mumbaikar was India's top run-scorer in the seven-match encounter with 374 runs -- only the Man of the Series Ian Bell, with 422 runs, scored more -- including four half-centuries.

This is Tendulkar's highest position in the rankings since March 2006, when he briefly touched 11th position, and suggests there is plenty left in his batting locker despite media suggestions of impending retirement from one form of the game.

Apart from Tendulkar, India has three other batsmen in the top 20 - Dravid, who has dropped two places during the England series to 15th position, Yuvraj Singh, a non-mover at 18th and the 19th-placed Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Meanwhile, the series win -- England's first victory in a home ODI series since 2003 -- helped Paul Collingwood's side gain three rating points and overtake the West Indies to move to the seventh place. Table topper Australia is five points clear of second-placed South Africa, 21 ahead of India and 24 in front of England.

Among the English batsmen, Bell moved into the top 20 and is just one point short of his best rating, achieved earlier in the ODI series. He is one of two England players in the top 20, along with second-placed Kevin Pietersen, holding steady just behind leader Ricky Ponting of Australia.

In the LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers, all-rounder Andrew Flintoff remains Englands highest-ranked player and has climbed five places to 10th position after taking 10 wickets in the four matches he played.

Only one player took more wickets in the series than Flintoff and that was his team-mate James Anderson, and his great form has seen him climb 19 places to break into the top 20 at 14th.

In contrast, Indian pacer Ajit Agarkar, who started the series in 13th position, dropped 12 places, which means India is now without a bowler in the top 20.

Flintoff's excellence with the ball has also seen him rise to the second spot in the LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI all-rounders, overtaking Chris Gayle of the West Indies, Sanath Jayasuriya of Sri Lanka and Kallis in the process.

Flintoff, however, is still some distance behind the leader of that list, South African Shaun Pollock.

Pollock also tops the LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers, ahead of Australia's Nathan Bracken and Shane Bond of New Zealand. Below Ponting and Pietersen in the batting table comes the Australia duo of Michael Hussey and Matthew Hayden, together with South Africa captain Graeme Smith.

Nicole Kidman miscarried Tom's baby

Nicole Kidman has revealed that she lost a baby in the early years of her marriage to Tom Cruise.

In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, the actress confessed that she suffered a "traumatic" miscarriage when she was just 23.

The 40-year-old actress further revealed that the failure to conceive and the desperation to have a child led the couple to adopt their kids Isabella, 14, and Connor, 12.

Nicole has revealed in the past that she had a second miscarriage when three months pregnant at the time of her break-up with Cruise.

"From the minute Tom and I were married, I wanted to have babies. And we lost a baby early on, so that was really very traumatic. And that's when it came that we would adopt Bella," The Sun quoted her, as telling the mag.

Kidman, who is now married to country music star Keith Urban, said that she is still 'yearning' to have a baby of her own.

"I'm yearning to have one. I think I would be very sad if I wasn't able to have a baby," she said.

"Keith knows I want one, and he has been getting there slowly. My husband really wants a couple of years, he said, 'Where I just have you.' So it's kind of romantic. That's what we decided," she added.

Cong, TD campaigns bring election atmosphere

Even though the talk of mid-term elections to the Lok Sabha have subsided following reports of truce between the UPA and the Leftists at the Centre, the election atmosphere has already started developing back home in the State.

The ruling Congress has intensified its pet programme "Intinta Indiramma Sambaralu," while the main Opposition Telugu Desam has launched its Palle Palleku programme in a big way in the villages to woo the electorate with assurances, as if the Assembly elections have already approached.

While the Congress programme which began on September 1 was aimed at to highlight the welfare programmes of the government and to identify true beneficiaries irrespective of parties for granting houses and pensions, the Opposition party launched its counter programme from September 5 by targetting to highlight the government's failures, nepotism and corruption. Following the directions of Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, party ministers, MLAs and senior leaders were making whirlwind visits to rural and urban areas.

Thus, the parties are prepared for elections, but are the voters ready?

Himakumar Reddy: 'God saved my brother’

NELLORE: “The car flew up before my eyes and for a second, I almost thought I lost my brother. Thanks to Edukondalavadu (points to the sky), he escaped from the jaws of death by a hair’s breadth...!"

The tension caused by the blood-curdling incident was clearly visible in his eyes even as Nedurumalli Himakumar Reddy, a cousin of the former Chief Minister N. Janardhana Reddy, narrated the incident to this correspondent.

Mr. Reddy was seated in the sixth car in the convoy, just behind the ill-fated Ford Fiesta that was blown up by the landmine triggered by Maoists near Vidyanagar in the early hours of Friday.

“I heard a loud noise and what I could see was just debris and dust all over. Immediately, I got out of the car and a corpse, understandably thrown up by the blast, fell next to me with a thud, spilling blood all over my shirt. I almost thought it was Anna, but found his car much ahead of the spot and ran towards it for confirmation. It was only then I heaved a sigh of relief,” he narrated the nerve-wracking incident to media after the blast.

Panabaka to make way for her husband!

Nellore MP and Union minister of state for health and family welfare minister Panabaka Lakshmi is likely to make way for her husband Panabaka Krishnaiah in the next elections.

Indications are that Krishnaiah might plunge into active politics by 2009 or even if they are advanced and might contest from Gudur Assembly constituency, since Nellore constituency might be dereserved for SCs. Morover, the Congress leaders and cadres in Nellore district, who are under the influence of former Chief Minister N Janardhan Reddy, have been complaining to the high command against Panabaka for her anti-party activities.

Several congress party leaders and cadres from Vakadu, Kota and Chittamuru mandals, who met at the residence of NJR at Vakadu on Thursday, leveled serious charges against Panabaka stating that she had been giving importance to those recommended by the local Telugu Desam leaders in various government schemes. They alleged that she had been inaccessible for them. NJR, too, expressed concern over people representatives lukewarm response towards the problems being faced by the Congress party cadres. It is unfortunate that the leaders are ignoring the cadre, Reddy lamented.

Security lapse reason for attack on NJR

A serious lapse of security is believed to be the reason for the attack of Maoists on the life of former Chief Minister and Visakhapatnam MP Nedurumalli Janardhan Reddy at Vakadu near Nellore on Friday morning.

The Nedurumalli couple command Z-Category security, which requires their routes to be checked wherever they go. The culverts are especially checked, as Naxalites are known to plant landmines at such places. NJR has been on the hit list of the Naxals since he was the first person to ban outfits such as the People's War Group (PWG) when he was the Chief Minister in 1991. Other governments followed suit, but NJR has been the prime target because of his bold initiative.

Neither he nor the police force took the threat seriously enough, as is clear by the failure to man police at all culverts along the route. The Z-Category security requires each police station to submit reports every

15 days after checking the culverts. The sub-inspectors have to physically verify and fill up a proforma stating 'Checked and found nothing particular'.

It is said that the police send the report without actually carrying out the checks. Even on Thursday night, such a report was sent stating that checks had been completed, including the culvert where the incident took

place. Police are also required to post cops at all culverts, particularly for Mr. Reddy, which they failed to do so, manning only the junctions.

Chandrababu Naidu Bribed Journalists

ABK Prasad, the Chairman of official language commission and senior journalist said that Chandrababu Naidu started the culture of bribing journalists by putting cash under the sweet box. He used to send that to senior journalists and editors, he added. This has become a practice and the small time journalists are expecting something now only because of Chandrababu Naidu.

ABK affirmed that the values of Press are going to dogs only because of Chandrababu Naidu.

After unleashing the inside stories of Ramoji Rao and his attitude, now ABK started revealing the deeds of Chandrababu who spoiled the values of Press. ABK said this in the new issue of 'Ee Vaaram' weekly.

YSR hits last nail in Ramoji coffin!

After stepping up a multi-pronged attack on media baron Ramoji Rao in the form of targetting the Margadarsi Financiers and destabilsing Eenadu Telugu daily by launching his own paper Saakshi, Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy is hitting the last nail into his coffin.

Eenadu group's agricultural magazine "Annadata" is a very popular journal among the farmers, as it provides a lot of material for their benefit. It has a respectable circulation and is fetching a lot of profits for Ramoji Rao. The Chief Minister, who did not concentrate on this magazine all these days, suddenly woke up and decided to sound a death knell to Annadata.

He asked the Agricultural Department to revive its old journal "Paadi Pantalu" in tune with the latest trend and see that the copies reach all the farmers' groups free of cost. He ordered that the content of Paadi Pantalu should be more attractive and informative than Annadata. What is more, he instructed that all the farmers groups and gram panchayats stop subscribing to Annadata and switch over to Paadi Pantalu. Two birds at one shot!!

YSR spares TDP, but attacks Left

Guntur: In a departure from his usual rhetoric, YSR on Saturday skipped commenting on the TDP and instead trained his guns on former allies, the Left parties, and assailed their land for landless agitation.

Addressing a meet at B R Stadium here, the CM , without naming the Left parties, said that neither the Congress nor the state government need lessons on welfare from some political parties. “We are giving pucca houses to the poor in the state. Unfortunately, some political parties are waging a war for house sites,” he said.

According to him, about 19 lakh houses would be constructed in the first phase of the Indiramma programme and nearly 22 lakh houses in the second phase. “The construction of lakhs of houses is going on at a brisk pace and the aim is to ensure that no one is left without a house in the state,” he said.

“I do not understand the agitations launched by some parties for house sites for the poor. They are trying to mislead the people by telling them that the government launched housing schemes for the people only due to the agitation launched by these parties. We need no lessons from any political party on doing good for the poor”.

YSR said he had advised Sonia against visiting Hyderabad after the bomb blasts to avoid unnecessary publicity to the terrorist attacks. Such publicity would have shown the state in a bad light and also reflect on the investments, he added.

Political Talk: Snap Poll Will Benefit TDP!

There talk of mid-term elections to the Lok Sabha are being heard everywhere. But many feel that such a possibility is very remote. The Left parties have certainly raised the pitch, but it is highly unlikely that they would pull the rug from under the feet of Manmohan Singh.

But the ground reality in the state suggests that in such an eventuality, it is the Telugu Desam Party that will emerge as the biggest gainer from a snap poll. The party fared poorly last time and managed to win just 5 MP seats. So if the TDP can manage to win even 10 seats now, it would have doubled its strength in the Lok Sabha.

The biggest loser undoubtedly would be the TRS, which will have to, in all probability, go it alone.

Behind The Scene: Babu silences 'Maharaja'!

Former minister and senior Telugu Desam leader P Ashoka Gajapathiraju is hardly seen at the TD State party headquarters NTR Bhavan. He used to be active while the TD was in power. The former "Maharaja" of Vizianagaram kingdom has reportedly decided not to be in the limelight at least for one more year. And this explains why he is not seen much at NTR Bhavan. Moreover, Chandrababu Naidu has entrusted the responsibility to his "trusted lieutenants" MV Mysoora Reddy and Nagam Janardhan Reddy.

An interesting aspect now observed in TD headquarters is the active participation of former information minister Dadi Veerabhadra Rao. This man had remained silent for more than five years. But during the past three months, he is sitting on the media conference dias and sharing it often with none other than Chandrababu Naidu.

Another leader who has been given a "raw deal" is former union minister Ummareddy Venkateswarlu. Also same is the case with former CBI director and former minister K Vijayarama Rao.

Only God knows what is in the mind of Chandrababu Naidu these days.

Lokesh' marriage: two quite contrasts

It is being dubbed as the "marriage of the year" in the political circles in the State. Whatever be the reasons attached to the marriage being dubbed as the wedding of the year, there's one reason no one can escape from or overlook.
It is the quite contrast between the bride and the bridegroom.
While the marriage arrangements are in full swing in the bungalow of film star Balakrishna whose daughter Brahmani is getting married to Nara Lokesh, son of former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on August 26, there's no such an environment in the bungalow of Chandrababu Naidu.
With Chandrababu Naidu deciding to keep the marriage a "low key affair", much activity is not seen at his house, though occassionally Lokesh and his mother Bhuvaneswari are said to be busy shopping. It is in quite contrast to the busy schedule in the residence of Brahmani.
The invitation list is also going to be quite contrast: big list vs small list. In every aspect the marriage is going to be quite in contrast, one making it a big affair and the other a low-ley function.
Many feel that they have not come across such a marriage in contrast.

Fact Sheet: Of Naidu and his 10, Janpath links!!

Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu, who was in New Delhi last week, took the party leaders and mediapersons by surprise by going into hiding for a couple of hours early in the morning.
There was nobody with him, except former Rajya Sabha member Kambhampati Rammohan Rao, when he went out in the latter's car without even taking his breakfast. Nobody could guess where Naidu had gone and after a week, too, Kambhampati also did not open his mouth even before closest of his friends, leave along the Desam MPs.
However, mediapersons tried to sniff the news about Naidu's secret mission. Accoding to their guess, Naidu had a one-on-one meeting with an industrialist, who has close links with the powers-that-be in 10, Janpath (Sonia Gandhi's residence), on a business deal. Sources say Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy has become a major hurdle in getting clearance to this business and therefore, Naidu sought the help of this industrialist to prevail upon YSR through Sonia Gandhi. So, business is politics and politics is business!

Undavalli's Verbal Bombardments In 'Ee Varam'

The new weekly Ee Vaaram is launched and the first issue deals with Ramoji Rao and his deeds with Margadarsi. The chief editor of the magazine is Undavalli Arun Kumar and the other story that took big place in the magazine is about Chiranjeevi's political entry.
The sensational Congress leader who came to file only with Margadarsi issue is now turned a Press person as well with 'Ee Vaaram'. It is obvious that Congress is funding that magazine and the multi color magazine is being sold out at just Rs 5. Television Ads are also hitting in big way about this magazine.
We have to see how Congress and Undavalli use this magazine in near future.

Fact Sheet: Ex-bureacrats go on their own!

Three retired IAS officers -- D. C. Rosaiah, B. Danam and I. Venkateswarulu – who earned notoriety as the most corrupt officers during their tenure, are on a crusade to empower Dalits and minorities of the State.
The retirned bureacrats were associated themselves with the United BC/SC/ST Front initially, but later, they realised that their purpose won't be served if they play second fiddle to the petty politicians. So, they have decided to go on their own and see the people's response.
These former bureaucrats are now conducting political awareness programmes at Kakinada, Vizag, Vijayawada, Tirupati, Warangal and Hyderabad to enlighten the Dalits and prepare them for a longer battle for power. They saythough Dalits and minorities comprised about 85 percent of the population, they did not have decision making power.
"Power is in the hands of the remaining 15 percent and they are trampling over the rights of the Bahujans," they say.

Jagan ‘stopped’ in his tracks by YSR

Vijayawada: Is Y S Jaganmohan Reddy wary of group politics in the ruling Congress? Is he restrained by his chief minister-father YS Rajasekhara Reddy on making tours? Whatever may be the reason, the ‘rising son’ of the state, Jagan has cancelled his visit to Krishna and Guntur districts scheduled for August 25.
In fact, there was a flurry of activity in the Congress circles ever since the cadres came to know about his visit to the city to attend the marriage of a youth Congress leader in Guntur. On learning the news, leaders from Krishna too exerted pressure on him to spare some time in Vijayawada. But, youth leaders from Palnadu who secured his promise to visit Macherla did not agree to the proposal.
A group of leaders, led by local ZPTC member Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy, told Jagan that they have already made arrangements for a ‘grand welcome’. Meanwhile, proprietor of construction giant Ramky group Ramakrishna Reddy, a partner of Jagan in real estate business holdings, reportedly suggested Jagan to visit Sattenapalle to inaugurate charity works taken up by their foundation.
Guntur market committee chairman L Appi Reddy, who planned Jagan’s visit to the city, too wanted to keep him busy. As the rush of invitations kept growing, Jagan reportedly said he was going to Mumbai for a board meeting of Raghuram cements. But, rumours are rife in the party circles that the CM asked Jagan to wait for some time before plunging into active politics.

Behind The Scene: Why PJR is lying low!

Looks like the worries of the Chief Minister, Mr YS Rajasekhar Reddy, are over now. The main dissident in the Congress in the State, Khairatabad legislator P Janardhan Reddy is lying low. Another MLA M Sashidhar Reddy is also keeping mum. Suddenly all the dissident elements including MP Sarve Satyanarayana, MLA P Shankar Rao and MP Madhu Yashki Goud have decided to keep the dissident activity under wraps. No one understands why they are keeping quiet. Is it the calm before the calm. Let's wait and see.
Sources point out that AICC Chief Sonia Gandhi has acted tough and this explains for the silence of these leaders. Only time will tell, whether their silence is because of fear of Sonia or it is calm before the storm.

Spy Report : Lagadapati emulating Chandrababu!

Vijayawada MP and firebrand industrialist Lagadapati Rajagopal seems to be emulating former Chief Minister and Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu in "back-stabbing" his father-in-law Parvathaneni Upendra.

There is a lot of drama in this episode. Upendra played a prominent role in the early days of Telugu Desam foundation and was a close associate of its founder-president N T Rama Rao. On the other hand, Rajagopal has been in the Congress right from the beginning, like Chandrababu Naidu. While Naidu differed with NTR because the latter married Lakshmi Parvathi, who was dominating the TD politics, Upendra was angry with Lagadapati, because the latter has was allegedly having illicit relationship with a woman public relations officer in the police department. Because of her, Lagadapati started ignoring his wife (Upendra's daughter).

Of late, Lagadapati has been dominating the Vijayawada politics, completely sidelining Upendra, who sacrificed his seat for his son-in-law in 2004 general elections. Now, Upendra feels he has been stabbed in the back by Lagadapati, just as NTR suffered backstabbing from Chandrababu Naidu!

CPM-MIM fight behind Tasleema attack?

The CPM and the MIM have been fighting against each other for the last three years to establish their supremacy in old city of Hyderabad.
There have been instances of clashes, often violent. But the fight has assumed serious proportions on Thursday when MIM attacked Tasleema Nasreen, the controversial Bangla writer.
The MIM wants to drive home the message back home in its constituencies that the Communists have befriended Tasleema Nasreen who has written against Islam and Muslims. They want to tell their voters that the Communists had sided with Tasleema and the MIM is the real champion of the minority community.
But the MIM set a bad precedent by attacking the organisers and the writer at the book release function in Hyderabad.

Fact Sheet: Left doublespeak on land, Tasleema!

The Communists think that they can get away with anything. First they created trouble for the Congress government in the State through a "bhoo poratam" (struggle for land distribution). This led to police firing resulting in the death of seven persons at Mudigonda. The communists bayed for the blood of the chief minister, Dr YS Rajasekhar Reddy.
They conveniently forgot that a similar land struggle back home in West Bengal led to several deaths in police firing.
It was the Communist government in West Bengal which had banned controversial Bangla writer Tasleema Nasreen's book. Now the same communists speak of freedom of expression.
What is good for the goose should also be good for the gander.

Spy Report: Lagadapati emulating Chandrababu!

Vijayawada MP and firebrand industrialist Lagadapati Rajagopal seems to be emulating former Chief Minister and Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu in "back-stabbing" his father-in-law Parvathaneni Upendra.

There is a lot of drama in this episode. Upendra played a prominent role in the early days of Telugu Desam foundation and was a close associate of its founder-president N T Rama Rao. On the other hand, Rajagopal has been in the Congress right from the beginning, like Chandrababu Naidu. While Naidu differed with NTR because the latter married Lakshmi Parvathi, who was dominating the TD politics, Upendra was angry with Lagadapati, because the latter has was allegedly having illicit relationship with a woman public relations officer in the police department. Because of her, Lagadapati started ignoring his wife (Upendra's daughter).

Of late, Lagadapati has been dominating the Vijayawada politics, completely sidelining Upendra, who sacrificed his seat for his son-in-law in 2004 general elections. Now, Upendra feels he has been stabbed in the back by Lagadapati, just as NTR suffered backstabbing from Chandrababu Naidu!

MIM activists rough up Taslima Nasreen in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: Controversial Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen was on Thursday roughed up by MIM activists who stormed into a book release function, injuring a Telugu writer and a press photographer.

Nasreen, here to release the Telugu translation of her latest book 'Shodh', escaped unhurt as organisers and journalists shielded her and escorted her to safety.

A group of over 40 MIM workers, led by party MLAs Afsar Khan, Ahmed Pasha and Mouzam Khan, barged into the press club at Somajiguda when the function was about to end.

Hurling abuse and shouting slogans, the MIM workers surged menacingly towards the dais as a stunned Nasreen looked on.

They threw papers and books at Nasreen. In the melee, Telugu writer N Innaiah, the organiser of the function and president of the rationalist organisation Centre for Inquiry, was injured along with a press photographer.

Alert organisers and journalists covering the event threw a protective ring around Nasreen and took her to an adjoining room.

The MIM activists, who demanded that Nasreen should leave immediately, broke windows and damaged furniture at the venue.

Police then reached the spot and dispersed them.

The three MLAs from the city and their supporters were taken to Banjara Hills police station, Deputy Commissioner of Police M Madhusudhan Reddy said.

The manager of the Press Club filed a complaint with police against the attackers.

A large number of mediapersons gathered at the press club and protested against the behaviour of the MIM activists. They sought stringent action against the MLAs and their supporters.

Later, a delegation of journalists led by Indian Journalists Union (IJU) secretary general K Srinivasa Reddy and Andhra Pradesh Union of Working Journalists (APUWJ) leader D Amar met Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy and sought stringent action against the culprits.

The MIM, which has considerable influence in the old city area, is represented in the Lok Sabha by Asaduddin Owaisi and has five members in the assembly.

Digvijay Singh, the Congress general secretary in-charge of party affairs in Andhra Pradesh, condemned the incident and said such attacks had no place in a liberal society.

The CPI state council termed the incident as an "attack on the freedom of expression by Muslim fundamentalists" and demanded the immediate arrest of the MIM legislators and their supporters.

Cong wooing women well in advance

The elections to the State Assembly are still 20 months away, but the ruling Congress has already begun wooing the women electorate with all the pre-election sops like distribution of sarees and blouses, as if the election is tomorrow.
In several districts, the beneficiaries under Indiramma housing scheme are getting more than what they have asked for. Under this scheme, the house site documents are given in the name of women. Along with the pattas, the beneficiaries are being given a saree, blouse piece, bangles, kumkum, betel leaves and nut powder.
Not only this, food is being served to the women and those accompanying them if they are struck at the venue after 12.00 noon. In fact Chief Minister Dr YS Rajasekhar Reddy expressed surprise when pattas are given with sarees when he launched the distribution during his visit to Nellore on Sunday. Local MLA A Vivekananda Reddy told the Chief Minister that it would be given to all the beneficiaries, as part of the tradition.
And the bill for providing food as well as other items like saree and blouses is being footed by the local municipal authorities!!

Behind The Scene: Ramoji empire crumbling!

Looks like Eenadu group chairman Ramoji Rao's empire is gradually crumbling. The orders passed by Revenue Tribunal declaring 1363 acres of land under possession of Ramoji group as ceiling land and asking Ramoji Rao to surrender the land to the government immediately sent shockwaves not only in his family, but also in the entire group.
It was a hot topic for discussion among the employees of Eenadu and ETV and there was an element of insecurity among them. The question that was doing rounds among those employees was: what would be their fate, if Margadarsi and Ramoji Film City collapse simultaneously. Does Ramoji Rao have the capacity to withstand this disaster. News was that even Blackstone, who was expected to take over part of the equity in Ramoji group, has now backed out.
Interestingly, not a single story appeared in Eenadu about the Revenue Tribunal order on Thursday, while all other newspapers blew it up on front pages. Indications are that many employees have already starting making plans to look for greener pasteurs, before they become part of the bankruptcy!

Buzz: Jumbo committee exposes Naidu weakness

The constitution of a jumbo State executive of the Telugu Desam with 176 members on Wednesday has thoroughly exposed the hollowness of its president N Chandrababu Naidu's leadership.
In the State committee, Naidu has accommodated everybody, who he thinks have the capacity to become nuisance value in the coming days. To defend his action, he tried to put up a show saying he had to satisfy all the sections, particularly BCs, SCs and STs, while constituting the committee. First of all, it is not a Cabinet and there is no additional benefit or monetary gains these leaders would get, except that they could seek positions if the TD comes to power. So, there is no need for any caste balancing in the party posts.
Secondly, there will be no work division in such a big committee and particularly in a party like Telugu Desam, there is nothing that the party leaders can do, as all the decisions are taken and all the talk is done only by Naidu and rest are all only listeners.
Even in the so-called politburo, only Naidu's word prevails and there will be none to differ with him. Those who can question his decisions, like Kotagiri Vidyadhar Rao or Kadiam Srihari, are kept out of politburo. In fact, Naidu reportedly thought of taking even Devender Goud out of politburo, but feared that it would trigger a revolt in the party in Telangana region.
So, Naidu was scared of any making major changes in the party committee, but for inclusion of Harikrishna in the politburo!

Land Tribunal news is no news for Ramoji’s Eenadu!

The orders passed by the RDO of Ranga Reddy East Division T Manikyala Rao on the excess holding of lands by him is no news for Eenadu and ETV. The story does not find mention anywhere in the paper. Not even a single column tucked away in the inside pages!
It reminds one of the Telugu saying “Pillu Kallu Moosuku Paalu Taagithe, Thanai Evaru Choodatledu Anukuntundi” (A cat will drink milk with its eyes closed thinking that no one is watching it).
So the chief editor of Eenadu may be under the impression that if the story is not published in Eenadu, then nobody will ever come to know about it.For late comers, the story is that the tribunal has found that Ramoji Rao and his group are in possession of about 1,380 acres of excess land, which is in violation of the AP Land Reforms (Ceiling on Agricultural Holdings) rules 1974. The tribunal has issued a notice to Ramoji Rao and has given 15 days time to respond.

Naidu places his son's marriage card on Balaji's feet

Tirumala, Aug 8: The former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and Telugu Desam Party(TDP) President N Chandrababu Naidu today placed the first Invitation card of his son Lokesh's marriage at the feet of Lord Venkateswara and sought his blessings at Tirumala temple.

Earlier, Mr Naidu, who flew here along with his wife and TDP founder late N T Ramarao's daughter Bhuvaneswari from Hyderabad to Tirupati yesterday, was received by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD)Joint Executive Officer G Balaramaiah and temple Deputy Executive Officer Prabhakar in the temple.

Mr Naidu offered worship to the Lord, after the Archananthana Darshan (AAD) in the sanctum sanctorum and later deposited the wedding card in Srivari Hundi.

Lokesh would marry cine actor Balakrishna's daughter Brahmani on August 26 in Hyderabad.

Later, the TTDP supremo visited Tirupati and left for Hyderabad by air, the party sources said.

Ramoji asked to surrender surplus 1500 acres land

In what is seen as a major bow to the image of Ramoji Rao and the biggest setback in his life, is the verdict delivered by the Land Tribunal today. The verdict comes after about nine months of hearing. In the order, the tribunal has said that Ramoji Rao possesses about 1804 acres of land. This is in excess of the stipulated 500 acres. The land holding is spread across Film city, Shamshabad, Chittoor, Kankipadi and other place in the state.

The land is in the names of RFC, Eenadu, Margadarsi, Ch Kiran, Ch Suman, Dolphin hotels and other group entities. With this order, Ramoji Rao now has no option but to surrender the excess land that could be up to 1,500 acres.

The tribunal passed the orders and has given Ramoji Rao 15 days time to respond. If the fails to respond, the tribunal will have the right to take back the lands.

The only concession that Ramoji Rao can expect is that he can decide on which land to keep and which land to surrender. The choice of retaining 500 acres of land vests with Ramoji Rao. More details about the tribunal’s verdict are awaited.

Dutt given `manual hard work' in jail; to do painting

Pune: Actor Sanjay Dutt, sentenced to six-year rigorous imprisonment in 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, has been given "manual hard work" at Yerawada Central Jail but he expressed keeness for painting , official sources said.

Though the nature of the job given to Dutt was not disclosed, the sources said it could be anything under work options available to convicts such as carpentry (which includes cane work), textile, painting, bakery, printing press, leather work, farming, powerloom/handloom, motor garage and kitchen in the jail industry.

The 48-year-old actor, convicted under the Arms Act for possessing illegal weapons, is said to have expressed his desire to get involved in painting work, an official source told PTI on condition of anonymity.

"It is not that a convict serving rigorous imprisonment at Yerawada Jail is expected to stick to just one job. He can ask for a change in work as per his inclination and aptitude," the sources noted.

The prisoners get their prescribed allowance under different work categories.

The prison, housing around 3,000 inmates, gets an annual revenue of over Rs one crore by way of the sale of various products made available through its outlets, they said.

Meanwhile, the jail authorities have denied any special treatment or concessions were given to the visitors Dutt had on Monday - his sister Namrata and friend Manyata - as well as the team of lawyers from Mumbai as reported in the media.

"For us, Dutt happens to be just one of hundreds of jail inmates serving their sentence on conviction," Satish Mathur, Inspector-General, Prisons, said.

Harikrishna gets berth in TD politburu

Former chief minister and Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu, who does not believe in giving plum posts to relatives, has finally changed his well established principles and rules. He has included his brother-in-law and former minister N Harikrishna into the party politburo, the highest decision making body of the Telugu Desam.

But it is to be seen how Harikrishna will function as one of the important members of the party politburo. Harikrishna is known for his short temper and Chandrababu Naidu does not tolerate anyone questioning his authority. It is going to be clash of titans.

Inside sources point out that Chandrababu Naidu has bent rules to benefit Harikrishna for two reasons: Harikrishna was instrumental in arranging the wedding of Chandrababu Naidu's son N Lokesh with film actor-brother N Balakrishna's daughter Brahmani.

The second most important reason is that Chandrababu needs the support of some one from the NTR family if he wants to make some forays into the next Assembly elections. Several surveys by Chandrababu Naidu show that the party's position is weak and it needs to be strengthened. So who is the best ratha-sarathy other than Harikrishna. Chandrababu Naidu has no choice but to opt for his brother-in-law for the plum post.

Fact Sheet: Babu gets 10 mouths for publicity

Former chief minister and Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu has appointed as many as 10 official spokespersons for the party.

The TD used to have just a couple of spokesperson and after losing power, he increased the number to half a dozen. Now he has increased the number of spokespersons to 10.

Telugu Desam is perhaps the only Opposition political party in the world to have as many as 10 spokespersons. Chandrababu Naidu believes in publicity and that's the reason why he has chosen so many mouths to speak out on a variety of public issues. With the election fever already catching up the Congress and the Telugu Desam in the State, 20 months ahead of the Assembly polls, the TD supremo feels that so many mouths will add to the party's campaign.

But political observers feel that 10 spokesperson for a party which is not in power will create utter confusion and unless there's no proper coordination there will be chaos.

Fact Sheet: Go Left way, Naidu tells cadres!

At last, Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu has taken a leaf out of the Communists' book in launching agitations and win the people's support.

He realised that the Mudigonda incident has shaken the Congress edifice in the State and drew nation-wide attention, while there was little response to the hungama created by the TD legislators at Obulapuram mines, which nobody acknowledged. So, he has, of late, started taking lessons to the party cadres on how to launch agitations. "Unless there are arrests, lathi charge or cases it can not be called as an agitation," Chandrababu Naidu told his party workers at Chittoor on Tuesday.

He encouraged them to agitate over peoples problems and bring pressure on the officials to resolve the issues. He assured his support if cases are foisted against them or in case if they are arrested. He enquired about the strategy adopted by the left parties during the recent bhuporatam and expressed surprise over the failure of his party men, who are more than left party workers in numbers, to make an impact though the agitations.

Intellectuals come to TRS rescue again!

The pro-Telangana intellectuals, who have been keeping themselves away from the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) since the Karimnagar elections thanks to the highhanded behaviour of its president K Chandrasekhar Rao, have now come to the rescue of TRS again in the Singareni Collieries union elections.

To start with, revolutionary balladeer Gaddar has been touring the coal belt areas to ignite the Telangana sentiment among the workers again, He is taking out peace yathras and organising cultural programmes at various places to propagate Telangana feeling among the people of coal belt areas in general and Singareni workers in particular.

On the other hand the programmes and regular meetings organized by 'Telangana Vidyavanthula Vedika' also galvanized Singareni workers behind the separate Telangana state demand by creating awareness about the need of separate Telangana state. The people are being brainwashed by various organizations regarding importance of winning of Telangana Boggu Gani Karmika Sangham in the elections to protect Singareni from various forces.

The TRS now hopes to repeat the Karimanagar byelections show in the Singareni polls. It feels that recent road shows by Chandrashekar Rao in the Coal belt areas and campaign by cultural troops at mines further strengthen Telangana sentiment among the workers.

YSR plans to nip BC Front in the bud

With State intelligence authorities indicated to the government about an imminent impact of the newly-formed BC United Front on the Congress prospects in 2009 elections, Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy has immediately started measures to woo the BCs and is all set to announce a major package for them.

As a first step, the Chief Minister came out with a proposal for reservations to BCs in in promotional posts in the services of both State and Central Governments. He wrote a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to take legal and legislative initiatives in this regard to pave way for reservations to them. Pointing out that reservation to BCs at the entry level in Government services is not enough, he asked the Centre to amend the constitution to provide reservations to BCs even in promotions.

Citing reasons for his plea, Dr Reddy said people belonging to backward classes form a very substantial part of population of the State. Despite the fact that they possess most of the traditional skills and services, much remains to be done for their social and educational advancement, the Chief Minister wrote.

YSR's surprise letter indicates Congress attempts to ensure complete sway over the Backward Classes in the wake of polarisation of political forces, struggle for land and other issues. Naturally, he wants to pre-empt the BCs from forming a separate party that would be last nail in the Congress coffin.

Telangana Cong meet, a futile exercise

The Telangana Regional Congress Committee meeting, to be held on August 12, has virtually no issues to discuss, but for praising the initiatives taken by the Y S Rajasekhar Reddy government for the development of Telangana on all fronts.

The meeting is being convened under pressure from some Telangana MLAs, who are getting uneasy over the latest developments on Telangana front: the immense damage caused to the Congress party in Telangana after the Mudigonda firing incident, the rising discontent among the party cadres about lack of progress on Telangana State formation front, failure to implement GO 610 and so on. There is a fear among the Congress MLAs in Telangana that they might not get relected in the 2009 elections, if there is no major initiative from the government for Telangana.

However, Gandhi Bhavan sources say, there are no great expectations about the TRCC meeting. As usual, Digvijay Singh comes from Delhi, praises the Chief Minister and gives a call to the TRCC leaders to strengthen the hands of the Chief Minister. At the most, the TRCCC leaders would ask government to spend Rs 9500 crore generated through sale of lands in and around Hyderabad for the development of Telangana region only and should not be included in the State budget, sources said.

Devendar Goud once again to the fore

The Telugu Desam is once again looking at former minister T Devendar Goud to lend grace to its agitations. Devendar Goud has led several agitations with adept bringing laurels and votes for the Telugu Desam.
Former chief minister and Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu is once again pushing Devendar Goud to strengthen the party base from the village level. So Devendar Goud will take out a padayatra all over Ranga Reddy district for four days from August 9 to 11. He will gauge the public mood on the land agitation. Based on the feedback from Devendar Goud, the Telugu Desam will intensify its agitation for land distribution to other parts of the State.

Why political parties can't be made to pay for violence

The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Tuesday observed why those, who organised the State-wide bandh on July 28 which led to the police firing at Mudigonda village in Khammam district resulting in the death of seven people, should not be held responsible for payment of compensation.

It also wondered why the provisions of Article 19(1)(d) and Article 21 of Constitution of India should not be invoked. The High Court was hearing a writ petition filed by Telugu Desam secretary PNV Prasad seeking imposition of the President's rule in the State.

The court directed that the petitioner implead all those political parties which had organised the bandh. Incidentally, the Telugu Desam is one of the parties which had organised the bandh all over the State.

Babu to spend just five days for Lokesh wedding

Former chief minister and Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu will be spending just five days for the wedding of his only son N Lokesh. The TD supremo has drawn up a tour programme to strengthen the party from the grass roots level.He hopes to complete three rounds of the State before the next Assembly polls due in May 2009.

The first tour is scheduled for August 17 and 18 to Vizianagaram and to Mahbubnagar on August 20 and 21. The marriage of Lokesh is scheduled for August 26. So this leaves just five days for Babu to be busy with the arrangements.

He will continue with the tour programme a couple of days immediatley after the wedding.

Fact Sheet: TD-CPI joins hands to defeat TRS!

Politics makes strange bed fellows. The Communist Party of India, which is appearing to be keeping the Telugu Desam at bay in its land struggles, has entered into an alliance with the same TD in the prestigious elections to Singareni Collieries recognised union, scheduled to be held on August 9.

The CPI-affiliated AITUC entered into a last minute understanding with the Telugu Desam's trade union outfit TNTUC to fight unitedly in the Singareni polls in 10 out of 11 divisions in the coal belt spread across Adilabad, Karimnagar, Warangal and Khammam districts. The elections are said to be crucial, as they will reflect the people's mood in the forthcoming Assembly elections.

The common agenda of the trade unions affiliated to the TD and CPI is simple: to defeat the Telangana Boggugani Karmika Sangham (TBGKS), affiliated to the Telangana Rashtra Samithi. The Desam is worried that if the TRS-backed union wins the elections, it would be the end of road for it in the 2009 Assembly elections. Moreover, the prospects of the TNTUC are very bad in the Singareni polls and therefore, it took the unexpected decision of supporting to AITUC to save their face.

Communists drop demand for YSR’s resignation

The two Communist party leaders Prakash Karat of the CPM and A B Bardhan of the CPI met with congress President Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi this evening. The talks were primary about the Left parties agitation for land for the landless – Bhoo Poratam.

The Communists are reported to have put forth a list of seven demands before Sonia Gandhi and she has agreed to look into them favourably.

The major demands include regularizing the land occupied by the poor, setting up a special Bhoo Poratam Commission setting up a special ministry and lifting of all police cases filed against the party activists.

The good news for Y S Rajashekar Reddy from the meetings is that the Left parties did not raise the issue of chief minister Y S Rajashekar Reddy. It is learnt that the Left parties have decided to drop their demand of asking for YSR’s head altogether.

TD MLAs, MPs for another political showdown

Looks like the Telugu Desam is itching for trouble. The TD which created a law and order problem by organising a trip to the controversial Obulapuram mines in Anantapur, has now decided to pay a similar visit to Jindal lands in the Visakhapatnam agency area.

Telugu Desam MPs and MLAs will visit and inspect the lands allotted to Jindal company in Visakhapatnam district for two days on August 13 and 14. The TD delegation wants to ascertain facts and find out whether the State government has violated any norms.

It was during such visit to Obulapuram that the police resorted to lathicharge. The TD leadership faced similar bad experience during the visit to Babli project site.

Fact Sheet: Cash reward to Kadapa police!!

Believe it or not, the police officials of Rayadurg police station in Kadapa district received a reward of Rs 3 lakh for successfully preventing the entry of Telugu Desam leaders and MLAs from entering Obulapuram mines and even manhandling Desam MLA E Dayakar Rao the other day.

And the cash reward was not given by the government, but by Brahmani Steels owner and Karnataka MLC Gali Janardhan Reddy, who owns the Obulapuram mines. In fact, the police had provided protection to the mines voluntarily without a formal request from Janardhan Reddy, only to display their more-loyal-than-king attitude towards Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajasekhar Reddy.

And though the government did not acknowledge their hardwork – a couple of the policemen received blows from the TD leaders, Janardhan Reddy definitely showed sympathy towards them and pleased them with the cash reward.

CPI-M plays dirty tricks on Mudigonda

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) is trying to cash in on the Mudigonda firing incident to prop up its image at the national level, particularly in West Bengal, where its image is gradually going down.

This was evident from the way the CPI-M has given wide coverage to the news pertaining to Mudigonda firing incident along with gruesome photographs in Ganasakthi, the mouth-piece daily of the party in West Bengal. However, the same newspaper downplayed the Nandigram firing incident in the past, where 14 poor people lost their lives in the firing of police and CPI-M activists.

The CPI-ML (New Democracy), which is suffering in the hands of the CPI-M in Khammam district, has brought out a dossier on the Nandigram and Singur killings in West Bengal and asked how the CPI-M would defend the violence in Bengal. The party spokesman pointed out that the West Bengal government had not declared a single paise to the victims and even declined to appoint a judicial committee to probe into it. He said that the people organized militant struggles against handing over their lands to the SEZs and multi-national companies. Instead of supporting to their struggle, CPI-M government killed the people and blaming the agitators as anarchists and anti-social elements. Do you follow different policies in various states?, he questioned.

"Number of CPI-M teams from Kerala and West Bengal have been visiting Mudigonda and Kalingnagar, but West Bengal government not allowed Jnanapeeth award winner Mahaswetha Devi and Narmada Bachao leader Medha Patkar in to Nandigram," he pointed out.

Rain gods advance thermal power overhaul

The power generation and supply position in the State improved considerably. Currently AP TRANSCO is supplying 162MU/day and meeting a peak demand of 7300MW. Thanks to good rains, Srisailam reservoir received large inflows since last week of June 2007. Therefore Power generation is maximized at both the power stations in coordination with irrigation department.

Owing to availability of 2200 MW hydro power (Srisailam 1500 MW and Nagarjuna Sagar 700 MW), the annual overhaul of thermal machines is advanced. The annual over haul of 7 thermal units of the state of capacity 1120 MW (RTPP-1, VTPS-1&4 and KTPS-2,3,8,9) and one unit of Kaiga Atomic power station of capacity 70 MW (AP share) in Central sector are already completed.

Power generation at Nagarjunasagar Left and Right power house (50 MW), Pochampadu power house (9MW) and Tungabhadra Power house (30 MW) also commenced. Currently 18000 cusecs water is being released through Nagarjuna Sagar Main Power House generating around 9 MU / day. Generation at Srisailam Power Station is being made as per requirement releasing up to 40000 Cusec generating around 20 MU/day due to decreased inflows into this reservoir as suggested by irrigation department.

At present the base availability is 114.1 MU (4756 MW) and hydel generation is 47.95 MU (2544 MW). During 2007-08 (from April to July), APTRANSCO supplied on an average 159.46 MU/day as against 152.25 MU/day during corresponding period last year, registering an increase of 4.7 per cent. The peak demand met (from April to July) in 2007-08 was 8337 MW as against 8104 MW during corresponding period last year, registering an increase of 2.9 per cent.

Article: YS Jagan The Gen-Next Ramoji Rao!

Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy is a highly intelligent young man. He is soft-spoken but at the same time, he is also shrewd and successful businessman. He has built up a formidable business empire in a short span of time.

Father Y S Rajashekar Reddy is naturally proud of his son’s achievements. And like all doting fathers, he wants his son to go higher and higher and notch up many more successes.

Jagan now wants to replicate this success in the media field too. So has now trained his sight on building up a media empire. He has announced the launch of a Telugu newspaper Saakshi, which will come out with a record 19 editions from day one.

Work is on full swing and top journalists are being hired at hitherto unheard of salaries. The paper is scheduled for launch in January, on Sankranthi to be precise.

Jagan is also firming up plans to launch a 24x7 TV Indira TV.

Along with the 24x7 news channel, there are reports that plans are afoot to start an entertainment channel as well. And the popular FM radio space is also being eyed. And the web is of course a natural extension of the print media. So, Sakshi will naturally have an Internet edition too. So, Jagan is likely to have presence in all the four media segments by 2008.

The paper and the channel are expected to give him a firm foothold in the media space in Andhra Pradesh. And starts with the advantage of having the government on his side. Which more or less will take care of the advertisements.

The paper is likely to click, as it is going to be a well designed and a quality product. The paper is likely to priced at just One Rupee for strategic reasons. This could turn out to be its USP as the other papers in the market like Eenadu; Andhra Jyothi etc. are priced at Rs. 3/- on weekdays and higher on Sundays.

Jagan’s yet to be launched daily has already put established papers like Vaartha, Andhra Prabha and Andhra Bhoomi on notice.

Come 2008 and we will have a new media mogul on the AP horizon.

Spotlight: Tirupati mulls dress code for women

Moved by a complaint of a Lord Balaji devotee who was perturbed by women worshippers wearing what he considered immodest clothes, the Tirupati temple is contemplating guidelines to help women look adequately pious.

It may become mandatory for women to wear saris, or other traditional Indian attire, if the temple’s “advisory on dress code” comes into effect.

“We will take up the issue at the next board meeting this month,” said Ramapulla Reddy, spokesman of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD).

The decision was prompted by a call made earlier this month by an incensed devotee from Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh. He had protested against women entering the temple in “indecent” clothes.

The TTD’s executive officer G Balaramaiah promised to look into the issue. He was contacted during the temple’s interactive initiative, “dial your executive officer”.

TTD spokesman Reddy said: “It’s customary for women to wear saris and men to wear dhotis, but many wear whatever they like.” TTD’s male employees have to wear dhotis and white t-shirts, and women work in saris.

However, not all temple administrators endorse the introduction of a dress code. “People know what to wear when visiting a temple,” said Hanumant B Jagtap, chief executive officer of the Siddhivinayak temple.

“At the most, they can be advised not to wear Western clothes. But compelling them to wear Indian dresses is inviting trouble.”

But a few devotees seem in favour of sartorial curbs. “The Tirupati shrine is not a restaurant where you can wear anything you fancy,” said Naveen Hegde, a Bangalore resident and a staunch follower.

Some women, however, think the champions of dress code in temples are arguing with skimpy logic: “Ban men from entering some temples in Kerala without shirts before thinking of imposing a dress code at other temples,” said Madhu SM, a Bangalorean. “

Temples are places to offer prayers and to find peace of mind. Devotees should come to visit God and not look at women.”

Fact Sheet: Ponnala becomes owner's envy!

Major Irrigation Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah, who managed to retain his portfolio during the last Cabinet reshuffle, has become an envy for the Congressmen.

In a way, Ponnala has become more or less isolated in his Warangal district, except for a few leaders who got benefitted from him. His detractors, who were expected a change in his portfolio, are envious of his fortune, as he allegedly made millions in Jalayagnam. So, the differences among the top leaders of the Congress party in the district came to the fore when he arranged a felicitation for his follower and Warangal Zilla Parishad chairperson L Dhanawanti on completion of her one year in office on Sunday.

It turned out to be a glaringly one-sided affair with only the staunch followers of Ponnala Lakshmaiah attending the meet and others chose to be away from it. Among those top guns who were absent from the meet included; Minister for tribal welfare D S Redya Naik, DCC President and MLC Gandra Venkata Ramana Reddy, city MLA Baswaraju Saraiah, Mulug MLA Podem Veeraiah, DCCB chief Konda Murali, and his wife Shyampet MLA Konda Surekha.

With the absence of top leaders, Ponnala alone had to carry the meet on his own and tried to make light of the absence of top leaders.