A reporter's tale.The author of this blog is Desk Writer of Star News. But the view /collumns posted here is the author's personal opinion & Star News doesn't share any view with the author in this blog.
New Delhi, Nov 11 (PTI) Apparently facing disciplinary action, Congress General Secretary Margaret Alva today resigned from her post after creating a storm by her stinging criticism of the party in election ticket distribution, drawing sharp criticism from various leaders. The morning after she met Congress President Sonia Gandhi and A K Antony, Chairman of the party's Disciplinary Action Committee, Alva sent her resignation to Gandhi this afternoon.
During the meeting with Gandhi last night, the 66-year-old veteran, who is also a member of the Congress Working Committee and Central Election Committee, is believed to have offered to resign from her post if her criticism had become an embarrassment.
Apparently not not wanting to be seen as leninent on indiscipline with elections round the corner, leaders were unsparing in criticism of Alva, a member of various high-level fora of the party.
Rahul Gandhi rejected her charges saying he was "not not unhappy" about ticket distribution. Those who attacked her included Congress' chief spokesman M Veerappa Moily, who said she had committed serious breach of discipline, Digvijay Singh and Ashok Ghelot.
There were also voices of support from senior leaders including Yogendra Makwana from Gujarat and R L Jalappa from her state Karnataka.
Last week, Alva, who is in charge of party affairs in several including Maharashtra and Punjab, had stirred a hornet's nest by saying that tickets during Karnataka assembly elections were sold and questioning the denial of ticket to her son Nivedith. PTI.Copyright must be reserved by PTI .
What i think Obama should do immediately after taking presidential oath. Priorities, but not in any particular order:
1. Stop and reverse global climate change - he can appoint Al Gore, who singlehandedly created the internet, as Czar of the Climate Change Commission (the new CCC), and Big Al can use CNN’s new holographic teleporter to appear anywhere on Earth, at any time, in an environmentally-friendly way, and guide us misguided masses into ecologically-conservative modes. Al will agree to take the post for $1 a year, as long as he’s granted green exchange credits for his personal consumption.
2. Stabilize the world’s financial markets - he can appoint Alan Greenspan or Paul Voelker as Secretary of the Treasury and head of the Federal Reserve Bank (they can share and rotate monthly into and out of these positions), and they can lead a bloodless, cashless coup of the IMF and the World Bank, canceling the US’s debt to China, and mandating the US dollar as the world’s only currency.
3. Stabilize the world’s current conflicts - he can appoint Colin Powell as Secretary of State who, with the assistance of Jimmy Carter, will appease all of the world’s despots with offers of compromise and free trade.
4. Stabilize domestic issues - he can appoint Bill Clinton as the new Czar of the We the People Administration (the new WPA), where Bill can work tirelessly to see that collegiate volunteer interns are appropriately positioned.
Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra combined for seven wickets as India handed Australia just its second series defeat in three years, completing a 172-run victory Monday to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar cricket trophy 2-0.
The top-ranked Australians were dismissed for 209 in 50.2 overs just before tea on the last day, chasing an unlikely 382 to win the fourth and final Test and force a 1-1 series draw.
Spinners Harbhajan (4-64) and Mishra (3-27) built on the fine early work of paceman Ishant Sharma, who took 2-31, and only when opener Matthew Hayden plundered 77 did the Indians look in any danger of giving up their advantage.
India, which last held the Border-Gavaskar trophy in 2004, took the lead in the series with an emphatic, 320-run victory in the second Test in Mohali last month.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India's captain-elect following the retirement of Anil Kumble after the third Test, said the series win over Australia was a fitting farewell to international cricket for Kumble and Sourav Ganguly, another former captain.
"It's very important. It's one of the series everybody was looking up to. It's more than the India-Pakistan rivalry right now," he said. "It was important to catch the moment."
Ganguly, who bowed out with 85 and 0, said it was time to step down and he was happy to exit on a high.
"We played outstandingly to win 2-0 against the best team in the world, it is very, very satisfying," he said.
Australia's only other recent Test series defeat occurred in England in 2005 when Ricky Posting's lineup handed over the Ashes for the first time in almost two decades.
"It's been a fair result, to tell you the truth," Ponting said. "From the start of the second Test in Mohali, we've been chasing our tails and India deserve the 2-0 result.
"It would have been an unbelievable run-chase if we could have got there today - with wearing wickets and good spinners, and fast bowlers doing their job, after lunch we were out of the game. We weren't good enough here or in Mohali."
The Australians, who resumed Monday at 13-0, needed the fourth-highest successful chase in Test history to pull off a series-tying win and began wanting 369 runs in 90 overs.
They scored 98 in the first session but lost three wickets by lunch - including two in the first six overs - and another seven went after the break.
When Hayden and Michael Hussey were sharing a bright 68-run stand for the fourth wicket Australia had a slim chance of staying in touch, but they were removed in consecutive overs to leave the tourists struggling at 154-5.
Hussey received a sharp delivery from Mishra's first over and the ball lobbed to Rahul Dravid at first slip.
Hayden's cavalier innings came to an end when he was lbw to a quicker ball from Harbhajan in the next over.
The opener had stroked eight fours and a big six over long-on during his 93-ball innings, but needed more help from his partners to push Australia closer to the formidable total.
Things improved for India when wicketkeeper Brad Haddin (4) chipped to Sachin Tendulkar at mid-on, giving Mishra his second wicket and Tendulkar his 100th test catch.
Australia then lost 7-59 and the match ended when Harbhajan got an lbw decision against No. 11 Mitchell Johnson.
"We've been totally outplayed," Ponting said. "With the exception of the first test in Bangalore, in every other game we've got back to level and never got in front.
"Coming here on the third morning I was really upbeat at where the game was going, then India adapted a certain style of play and made it difficult to score and chipped in with a few wickets."
Sharma, who was man of the series for his 15 wickets, was the best of the bowlers in the morning session, but it was Mishra and Harbhajan who created the most trouble.
Sharma struck in the fifth over when opener Simon Katich (16) skied an attempted pull shot and wicketkeeper Dhoni took a running catch in front of his slips.
Australia's situation worsened in the next over when Ponting (8) was run out by Mishra's direct hit and Clarke followed for 22 before lunch.
Australia will play New Zealand in a two-Test series starting next week and India will host England in seven limited-overs internationals and two Tests.
