Poll bugle sounded and the gloves are off

The poll bugle has been sounded and the gloves are off. The campaign has begun with political rhetoric taking over every other move.

Minutes after the Election Commission announced the General Election dates, the Congress and the BJP got into a war of words.

BJP prime ministerial candidate LK Advani said that Congress had ensured the defeat of BR Ambedkar in the post-Independence polls.

So, here was the Congress response: “If one does not know history even then the charges are disgusting,” UPA Spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said.

But the BJP was unperturbed.

• CNN-IBN-CSDS Survey

• Sonia, Advani locked in a close fight for PM's post

• AIADMK ahead in TN, Cong leads in Andhra

• Left bastions in danger; Cong, TMC surge ahead

• Alliance needed, suitors contact UPA, NDA

• UPA ahead but no one is winning 2009 elections

“The country will get a new government on May 16 and we will have a new Prime Minister in the form of LK Advani,” NDA Spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

The politicians have already moved into second gear. Now as they begin to intensify their campaign in the coming weeks, expect allegations and counter-allegations to be traded almost on a daily basis.

“Everyday, the UPA alliance is gaining and the NDA is eroding,” AICC chief spokesman M Veerappa Moily said.

But rhetoric apart, it was time to stitch up pre-poll alliances. Within hours of Trinamool Congress tying up with the UPA, Ajit Singh returned to the NDA fold. His coming over will strengthen the BJP in western Uttar Pradesh.

For the BJP, isolated in UP, this is an opportunity which they have grabbed with both hands. “Ajit Singh has supported us in increasing the alliance index,” Advani said.

But a lot still remains to be done like the seat-sharing arrangements, which are yet to be worked out.

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad was in Tamil Nadu on Monday to discuss the formula. The SP-Congress and Congress-NCP discussions are also on. BJP is holding talks with JD(U) and BJD.

So, the 2009 polls are more about alliances than the two national parties.

Sonia, Advani locked in a close fight for PM's post

Even before the 2009 General Election campaign has taken off, Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi have squared off publicly. But a CNN-IBN CSDS poll suggests that it is not Rahul versus Modi, but Sonia Gandhi versus L K Advani that remains the real leadership battle of the coming General Elections.

The nationwide poll across 23 states asked BJP and Congress voters who their preferred prime ministerial choices were.

Among the Congress voters

• Rahul Gandhi ranked third with 13 per cent of voters supporting him as the prime minister.

• The incumbent, Dr Manmohan Singh ranked second with 23 per cent of the vote.

• Sonia Gandhi was way out in front with 46 per cent of the vote among Congress supporters.

Though Sonia Gandhi shunned the prime ministership once, she is still seen as the face of her party.

Manmohan Singh emerged ahead of Rahul Gandhi is also perhaps an evidence that five years in office have given him a strong public image, especially among the urban middle class.

Among the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) voters

There still seems to be a preference for the original big two who have guided the party for almost half a century.

• With 10 per cent of support among the BJP voters, Narendra Modi ranked third.

• With 27 per cent of support, Atal Behari Vajpayee was second.

• L K Advani ranked first with 31 per cent of the BJP voters wanting him as their party's prime minister.

Interestingly, this is perhaps the first time that Advani has emerged ahead of Vajpayee in a poll of this nature. This suggests that the BJP's core supporters have now finally recognised that Vajpayee era is coming to an end.

For Modi and Rahul though, there is reason to look positively to the future. They are clearly ahead of any other contenders at this stage within their respective parties. Perhaps, their war of words is only a trailer to the battle that may lie ahead in the 2014 General Elections.

AIADMK ahead in TN, Cong leads in Andhra

Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are two southern states that had turned the tide against an over-confident National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the 2004 Lok Sabha Elections. A neck-and-neck fight between United Progressive Allinace (UPA) and third parties looks like the most possible scenario in the 2009 elections.

A Billion Votes focuses on the CNN-IBN-CSDS poll that explains how the two states will decide the fate of the 15th Lok Sabha.

On the panel of experts to discuss the survey were political columnist Kalyani Shankar, Bureau Chief of Vaartha R Rajagopalan, political commentator Dr V Krishna Ananth and political analyst Dr K Nageshwar.

Tamil Nadu: All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) has the momentum

Massive swing in favour of AIADMK
Party	2006	2007	2009
DMK	26	26	28
AIADMK	16	18	28
Others	48	56	44
Note: All figures in per cent.

• A Billion Votes: How Andhra, TN will vote in '09

Rajagopalan began the debate by saying, "DMK (Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam) will lose because of not handling the Sri Lankan issue properly. Secondly, there is no governance in Tamil Nadu. And that is reflecting in your poll too."

Compared to 2006 AIADMK is gaining…………
Caste/community-wise swings for…
Upper caste	+35
Nadars	+17
Vanniyars	+33
Women	+13
Muslims	+10
Note: All figures in per cent.

Traditionally, Tamil Nadu is all about alliances. The poll shows that while there is a dead heat between the DMK and the AIADMK, 13 per cent are with the Congress. There is also the PMK (Pattali Makkal Katchi) which is as of now with the DMK alliance. So Chief Minister M Karunanidhi maybe down, but he is not out.

Alliance crucial in a fragmented scenerio
Party	Vote share
DMK	28
AIADMK	28
Congress	13
DMDK	9
BJP	6
PMK	4
Left	3
MDMK	1
Others	8
Note: All figures in per cent.

"I agree but at the same time arithmetic matters more in elections. This has been proved in Tamil Nadu for the past two or three times. When Jayalalithaa got the number of allies, she got the maximum number of seats," Shankar said.

The panelists agreed that whoever gets the bigger alliance will have the advantage even now in Tamil Nadu, particularly the party which is with the Congress. Traditionally, a Dravida party plus Congress has been the beneficiary in Tamil Nadu.

Complete schedule of Lok Sabha elections

The Election Commission has staggered voting in Jammu and Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh over five phases while Bihar will have a four-phase election.

Maharashtra and West Bengal will vote over three days and eight states - Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Prdesh, Manipur, Orissa and Punjab - will see two-day elections.

The remaining 15 states and seven Union Territories will hold vote on a single day.

Election dates and states:

Phase One April16: Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshwadeep. March 23: Issue of notification. March 30: Last date of filing nominations. March 31: Scrutiny of nomination. April 2: Last date of withdrawal of nomination.

Phase Two (A) April 22: Manipur. March 28: Issue of notification. April 4: Last date of filing of nomination. April 6: Scrutiny of nomination. April 8: Last date of withdrawal of nomination.

Phase Two (B) April 23: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand. March 28: Issue of notification. April 4: Last date of filing of nomination. April 6: Scrutiny of nomination. April 8: Last date of withdrawal of nomination.

Phase Three April 30: Bihar, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat, Sikkim, Dadar and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu.

Phase three (A): April 2: Issue of notification. April 9: Last date of nomination. April 11: Scrutiny of nomination. April 13: Last date of withdrawal of nomination.

Phase three (B): April 2: Issue of notification. April 9: Last date of nominations. April 10: Scrutiny of nomination. April 15: Last date of withdrawal of nomination.

Phase three (C): April 2: Issue of notification. April 9: Last date of nominations. April 10: Scrutiny of nomination. April 13: Last date of withdrawal of nomination.

Phase Four May 7: Bihar, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi. April 11: Issue of notification. April 18: Last date of filing of nomination. April 20: Scrutiny of nomination. April 22: Last date of withdrawal of nomination.

Phase Five May 13: Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Chandigarh, Puducherry, Uttar Pradesh.

Phase Five (A): April 17: Issue of notification. April 24: Last date of filing of nomination. April 25: Scrutiny of nomination. April 27: Last date of withdrawal of nomination

Phase Five (B): April 17: Issue of notification. April 24: Last date of filing of nomination. April 25: Scrutiny of nomination. April 28: Last date of withdrawal of nomination.

Break up of seats: Phase One: 124. Phase Two: 141. Phase three: 107. Phase Four: 85. Phase Five: 86. Counting: May 16.

All election related procedures are to be completed before May 28.

Third Front confident of forming government

This groups calls itself the Third Front and believes that the next government may not be formed if all of them come together. Eight parties including the Left and three southern parties on Monday announced that they wouldn’t go with the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) or the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

From H D Dewe Gowda to Chandrababu Naidu to Jayalalithaa to Telengana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) and the Left; it is a group which has done business either with the Congress or the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the past. But, it is now rallying around an anti Congress and anti BJP stand.

“Next government will be a Third Front government,” says Chandrababu Naidu.

But who is going to be the leader of this group. Without a powerful player like Mayawati, the Third Front would resemble a still born child.

Just before last years trust vote on the nuclear deal the same players had come together in an unsuccessful bid to dislodge the UPA government. Then Mayawati was the prime ministerial candidate but this time she wants to go alone.

“We are all united in our attempts to provide a good government,” says Dewe Gowda.

This is the leader who is actually playing the Third Front card to its maximum advantage. Almost on a daily basis Sharad Pawar is threatening the Congress to fall in line and treat his party like an equal partner. He has one line open with the Shiv Sena and the other with Comrade Karat.

So for the time being the Third Front is looking like one bus with too many potential drivers.

BJP selects its poll issue: terrorism, Afzal Guru

The BJP on Saturday accused the Government of failing to secure the nation and alleged it was soft on terrorism.

LK Advani, the party’s prime ministerial candidate, indirectly accused the Congress-led government of endangering national security at the cost of vote bank politics.

Advani claimed the UPA Government was delaying hanging Afzal Guru, a terrorist awarded capital punishment for his role in the Parliament attack case, because he was a Muslim.

The terrorist has not been hanged because "his name happens to be Afzal Guru. Had he been some Anand Singh or Anand Mohan he would have been hanged," he said in Bangalore.

Advani claimed the common man’s security was a more important issue than unemployment and inflation and wanted India to follow a “zero-tolerance” policy against terrorism.

"Al-qaeda has not been able to carry out any terror attack in the US and Israel post-9/11 strikes as the governments of both the countries adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism," said Advani at an awareness campaign against terrorism conducted by Karnataka’s higher education department.

He claimed the UPA government had taken a "U-turn on all issues relating to terrorism", citing its decision to scrap POTA, the security law enacted by the previous NDA administration.

Earlier in the day, BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley, had accused the government of making India a soft state.

"UPA has made India into a soft state. India from a booming economy is now in a disarray as far as economy is concerned. India as a nation is an insecure nation. It is a naive foreign policy where in you seriously think Pakistan is giving you information. Pakistan's best front... non-state actors are doing it and we cannot help it. And our Prime Minister has already given Pakistan a certificate saying like us poor Pakistan is also a victiom of terrorism," he said in Mumbai.

Diptosh Majumdar, CNN-IBN’s National Affairs Editor, says the BJP’s emphasis on terrorism is a planned move. The party emphasised on terrorism during the five-state elections last year but it didn’t bring it results.

The Congress returned to power in Delhi though elections in the city were held just after the Mumbai terrorist attacks in November. The BJP tried to speak of the economy and inflation for a while but now has returned to its core issue.

Pak Navy chief eats his words on 26/11, Kasab

Pakistan’s navy chief on Saturday tried to calm the controversy created by his statement on the Mumbai terrorist attacks and said his intention was not to contradict his government.

Admiral Noman Bashir told at a press conference in Islamabad on Friday that Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone terrorist captured for the Mumbai attacks, didn't take the sea route to the Indian city.

On Saturday, he clarified his statement and said the Pakistan Navy didn’t have the authority to speak about the investigation into the Mumbai attacks.

"We have not been directly involved in the investigation, which is under the domain of the Interior Ministry. Therefore they are better equipped, they have better knowledge and information," said Bashir.

"We have no contradictory opinion on the report prepared by them. Whatever evidence they have is correct. I won't contradict it," Admiral Bashir said.

The Admiral admitted that Pakistan’s Interior Ministry, which is investigating the attacks, may have evidence that Kasab used the sea to reach Mumbai.

India on Saturday dismissed Bashir’s contention that the terrorists did not use the sea to enter Mumbai, saying "thorough investigations" had proved that the men did take that route.

Speaking at a function at the Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL), Defence Minister A K Antony said: "After the 26/11 incident, our agencies have done thorough investigations and come to the conclusion that the attackers had come through the sea route."

Indian Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta reiterated the point at the same function: "We all know our investigating agencies are competent and have provided excellent documents that this (the arrival of the attackers) has happened over the sea route."

BJP edges Congress in cyberspace poll campaign

In what promises to be a keen electoral contest to determine who rules India, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has already taken an early lead over the Congress -- in cyberspace warfare.

With general elections involving some 700 million voters only two months away, the BJP - perhaps taking a leaf from the Barack Obama style of campaigning - is targeting voters who are mostly young and net savvy.

"Advani for prime minister" is the theme of five campaigns by the BJP on more than 2,000 websites, including those of the US, British and Pakistani media which Indians often frequent.

Prodyut Bora, convenor of the BJP's IT cell, said: "We are the leaders in the use of Internet for elections."

So far there has been no similar effort from the Congress. But the party has shown it can use the Internet if it wishes.

In the Rajasthan assembly contest late last year, it launched an Internet campaign with video ads.

To go with the web ads, Advani, 81, has started a blog -- the first senior Indian politician to do so.

On January 7, he wrote: "My young colleagues who created this website told me that a political portal without a blog is like a letter without a signature. I am excited by the idea of using the Internet for the election campaign."

But the question remains - will the Internet campaign bring in the votes?

V K Malhotra, the BJP's chief ministerial candidate in Delhi last year, launched a website to woo voters. It did not help. Incumbent Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit of the Congress won again.

Arun Kumar of the School of Social Sciences in New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) says the BJP campaign is unlikely to help it garner too many votes because "Internet-savvy people are a small portion of the population".

According to him, what really matters are face-to-face interactions based on issues that matter to the people. Similarly, he says, the lack of an Internet campaign is unlikely to harm the Congress.

All major parties such as the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have their official websites.

The CPI-M website has comments on a whole range of issues.

On the coming Lok Sabha polls, it says: "The party should conduct a vigorous political campaign in the run up to the Lok Sabha polls.

We should call for the defeat of the BJP and the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) to ensure that the communal forces are kept out of power at the centre.

The campaign should attack the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government's anti-people economic policies.

The Left parties, along with the secular parties, should work together to make a non-Congress, non-BJP alternative realisable."

The Samajwadi Party's official website says: "This website aims to communicate with the masses and let people understand the party better. As time changes, technology changes; Samajwadi Party believes in staying up to date with technology and using it for betterment."

The website of Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar's NCP welcomes visitors to "join our cause and make a difference".

Navneet Kaushal, founder CEO of Page Traffic, told IANS: "Political parties have been using online media since 2003. The online Congress campaign in the last state elections showed it can gather a momentum of its own.

However, Advani's campaign is the first of its kind on a national scale and borrows heavily from Barack Obama's style. We will have to see if it connects with the Indian people."

Dipankar Gupta, also of the School of Social Sciences in JNU, says: "The Congress seems to think there is not much advantage to be had by going for an Obama-style Internet campaign.

The BJP campaign is unlikely to help it secure too many votes, just as it is unlikely that Congress's prospects will be harmed as most real voters don't surf the Internet."

Pakistan heading for unfortunate situation: Nawaz

Opposition leader Nawaz Sharif has blamed the Pakistan government for the political turmoil in the country set off by a court order barring him from elected office and warned Islamic extremists could exploit the unrest.

Sharif, in his first interview since the ruling on Wednesday, accused President Asif Ali Zardari of "declaring martial law on democracy," a charge echoing the complaints that forced former military ruler Pervez Musharraf to give up the presidency last year.

Sharif's interview with The Associated Press on Friday came amid a surge of political squabbling that is sure to distract the government of this nuclear-armed country from grappling with the Taliban and al-Qaida threat spreading from the tribal areas along the frontier with Afghanistan.

Pakistan also is in the middle of a tense time with neighboring India over the deadly militant attack on Mumbai, and Sharif said Zardari's pro-Western government isn't going to be able to face any of its key tasks if it continues to wage political war on him.

"It cannot concentrate on the very big issues we are confronted with," he said. "We have issues going on in the tribal area, we have this big issue in the Swat area, and we have a very ugly situation on our eastern border after the Bombay (Mumbai) killings."

The political uproar set off by the court ruling against Sharif is lining up influential civic groups led by disgruntled lawyers with Sharif's increasingly popular Pakistan Muslim League against Zardari. It's a confrontation that will also feed worries about military intervention, a frequent result of political turmoil in Pakistan.

"I think we are heading for some sort of unfortunate situation," Sharif said at his villa near Lahore, without elaborating. "There are a lot of forces — the militants, the extremists — they are all there to take advantage."

The Supreme Court ruling upheld a ban on Sharif from contesting elections because of a past criminal conviction related to the 1999 military coup that ended his second term as prime minister and put Musharraf in power.

Sharif's brother also was disqualified from continuing as head of the provincial government in Punjab, the nation's biggest and most populous region. Zardari ousted the government there and installed a loyalist as governor.

Parliament was not a priority for some MPs

The 14th Lok Sabha came to an end on Thursday and all eyes are now on the General Elections.

Even though the 14th Lok Sabha was one of the most acrimonious but there were many MPs who just did not made it a habit to attend its sessions on a regular basis.

Quite a few MPs revelled in giving the House a miss during the 14th Lok Sabha.

On top of the absentee list was Govinda Arun Ahuja who was busy romancing his first love - Bollywood - and forgetting that he had business in Parliament.

Dharmendra was more interested in his son's career than welfare of the neglected Bikaner constituency.

Shibu Soren was in and out of jail and stayed away from Parliament while Mamata Banerjee fought the Nano and the Tatas but didn't want to take on her opposition in Parliament.

So is there any self-introspection among the MPs?

"I promise my constituency people and my party that of next time I get a chance I am going to do better and better," Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav said.

The above list is of just a few of the famous absentees. But there is a comprehensive list of people with less than 30 per cent attendance during the 14th Lok Sabha.

It includes Ateeq Ahmad (20 per cent), Babu Lal Marandi (29 per cent), Dayanidhi Maran (10 per cent), Dharmendra (24 per cent), Govinda (12 per cent), MH Ambareesh (27 per cent), Mamata Banerjee (18 per cent), Mohammad Shahabuddin (24 per cent), Pappu Yadav (four per cent) and Shibu Soren (14 per cent).

It is an appalling figure and therefore some MPs have taken a pledge to improve it.

"Public wants the MPs to attend Parliament," BJP MP Shahnawaz Hussein said.

In the barely pass list are also some notables. Sonia Gandhi had an attendance percentage of 36, HD Deve Gowda 39, Priya Sunil Dutt 46, Navjyot Singh Sidhu 45 and Jaya Prada at 43.

But the Class of 2004 was not without the good boys and girls. Eighty-year-old Abdul Rehman Antulay headed the group that registered a 95 per cent attendance.

Pawan Bansal, Krishna Tirath and Sajjan Kumar also belonged to this club of exemplary MPs.

It was not only the attendance that mattered. Errabelli Dayakar Rao of the Telegu Desam Party had a 100 per cent attendance record.

But it was of hardly any use because his debate records show he never aksed any question or took part in any discussion.

There's a saying 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' and with almost 11 per cent of MPs earning an attendance of less than 50 per cent, it's hard to say if the Speaker or fellow parliamentarians grew any more fond of them.

What's certain though is that the voters will not remember them fondly.

(Data provided by PRS Legislative Research. Data till December 2008)

Govt wakes up, to stop auction of Gandhiji's items

After a public furore, the government has decided to acquire Mahatma Gandhi's personal belongings including his iconic glasses which were to auctioned in New York early March.

The government is still exploring options as to how to go about the process. Gandhiji's grandson Tushar Gandhi has already been trying to get those items back.

Five personal belongings of Gandhiji including, spectacles, glasses, sandals, a pocket watch and some utensils are slated for auction in New York on March 4 and 5.

Now the Indian government is expected to make a formal request to return them citing honour and respect for Indian sentiment.

But if this request is unheard, then the government hopes to convince some organisation to buy them and gift them to India. The government is also toying with the idea of buying them at a reserve price.

The Indian mission in New York and Washington has already been briefed about it.

But what is intriguing is that even after the auctioning of Gandhiji's letters by Christies in London in 2007 had to be withdrawn following loud protests and an appeal from India, the government has been caught unawares over the this one.

"It was a national shame that somebody that we refer to as Father of the Nation and his personal belongings are being auctioned off in a foreign land. This kind of concern should be for every national heritage," says Tushar Gandhi.

Especially so since the Minister of Culture Ambika Soni has been proposing for some time a law prohibiting auction of belongings of leaders like Gandhiji.

The government's worry now is understandable as in the election season Gandhiji is a powerful emotion.

Pak flip-flop continues, navy doubts 26/11 confession

Pakistan on Friday sacked the special public prosecutor Sardar Ghazi in the Mumbai terror attack investigation case and in another major development Pakistani Navy chief Admiral Noman Bashir said that they were not sure whether Mumbai attackers had travelled to Mumbai by sea.

"India has been claiming from Day I that they used the sea route but we don't have any evidence," Admiral Noman Bashir said.

But it isn't evidence from India but Pakistan that Admiral Noman Bashir seems to doubt. Just two weeks after the Interior Minister Rehman Malik detailed the sea route Kasab and the other nine terrorists took giving the number of boats used, Admiral Bashir's remark seems to contradict Malik.

If there's no evidence that Kasab and the nine other terrorists took the sea-route then why did Pakistan Interior Minister name three boats, arrested the engine-seller for boats used by the terrorists and seized bank accounts of men who bought them.

The Admiral may still be unsure over whether Kasab and the attackers came to Mumbai by sea but not about whose fault it is.

"They (Mumbai attackers) dodged a navy that is 10 times the size of Pakistan Navy and a coast guard that is 12 times Pakistan Coast Guards. So you can imagine," Admiral Bashir added.

In India, External Affairs Minister of State and Information and Broadcasting Minister of State Anand Sharma was quick to take a dig at the Pakistani see-saw.

"This multiple speak, duplicity and denial creates confusion. We cannot say for them. they have to decide and speak in one voice," said Anand Sharma.

Sharma's words were followed closely by a barb from Home Minister P Chidambaram.

"Well I don't wish to receive any certificate of appreciation or criticism from the Pakistan Navy. I am sure that somebody will deny tomorrow what the Pakistan Navy has said," said Chidambaram.

Whatever the reason, Admiral Bashir's statement has left many wondering both in Islamabad and New Delhi.

Is Pakistan preparing for another turnaround in the 26/11 investigations, or is it more evidence of the growing fissure between its political and military establishment?

Conspiracy behind mutiny, says Dhaka

The morning after the mutiny ended on Thursday, family members and relatives gathered at the gates of the Bangladesh rifles headquarters in Dhaka seeking news of their loved ones

The mother of Major General Shakeel Ahmed - among the first to be killed in the mutiny - along with his wife was in the crowd. Major General Shakeel Ahmed was the boss of BDR. His body was shot seven times.

Despite the calm after the end of the violence, on Friday morning Dhaka witnessed another round of high drama as the army tanks rolled into the BDR headquarters to search the entire complex.

As the list of army officers found dead increased and emotions ran high, there were rumours of the army acting on it's own. It took Home Minister Sahara Khatun's public announcement to clear the doubts.

She made clear that the Bangladesh army were acting on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's commands.

Till Friday evening, 42 more army officials posted in BDR were found dead from a mass grave inside this compound, taking the death toll to 125.

During the day, Prime Minister Hasina clearly indicated that the killing of army officers during the BDR mutiny was an act of sabotage, a conspiracy as the government claimed.

The government promised to hunt down the instigators of the bloody mutiny.

Minister (Bangladesh Local Development), Jahangir Kabir Nanak said, "There will be no mercy for those who killed."

Meanwhile, more than 300 BDR soldiers have been arrested across the country, as the civilian government hunts for those who plotted and funded the violent mutiny.

Tendulkar to join Lara and Warne at Madame Tussauds

Cricket maestro Sachin Tendulkar will be the latest sporting great to be featured at the internationally-renowned Madame Tussauds in London when a new wax figure of the Mumbai-born batsman joins the A-list line up in April.

Tendulkar follows in the famous footsteps of Bollywood greats Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan and will join other cricket legends Brain Lara and Shane Warne to become the very first Indian sports personality to be portrayed, the waxworks museum said in a statement Friday.

The cricketing legend has already had a sitting with the Madame Tussauds studios team who last week travelled to Mumbai to capture a catalogue of reference photographs and hundreds of precise measurements.

The information they collected at the two hour session at the Taj Lands End Hotel will prove invaluable as the sculptors and hair and make up artists get to work on his figure.

"We are delighted to confirm our next Indian superstar is going to be Sachin Tendulkar; his achievements on the cricket pitch are phenomenal and he is one of the biggest names in international sport," says Liz Edwards, Madame Tussauds PR manager.

"The Bollywood stars we have included over the past ten years have proved enormously popular with Asian guests and film fans from all over the world. We know Sachin will be just as popular for sports fans from home and abroad and are looking forward to introducing the real Sachin to his wax double soon."

Tendulkar, the Mumbai Indians Captain will be featured in typical celebratory "on the pitch" pose after another century marked in the scorebook.

He will be dressed in his cricket whites which he has donated.

The figure will be created at Madame Tussauds studios in West London at a cost of 150,000 pounds.

The cricket star will join the ranks of sporting greats, including David Beckham, Mohammed Ali, Tiger Woods and Jesse Owens, in Madame Tussauds interactive Sports Zone.

There will also be a cricketing challenge around the introduction of the figure, where guests can test their cricketing skills against the 'masterblaster'.

McCullum steals last-ball thriller for Black Caps

Brendon McCullum hit a single off the last ball to lead New Zealand to a thrilling five-wicket win over India in the second Twenty20 international at Wellington on Friday to seal the series 2-0.

McCullum held his nerve in a nailbiting final over from Irfan Pathan to guide New Zealand past India's total of 149-6, finishing with an unbeaten 69. The home team finished on 150-5.

New Zealand's chances of winning looked slim when they needed nine runs off the last three balls but McCullum kept his cool, smacking two successive boundaries to level the scores before chipping the final delivery over the infield to seal the win.

McCullum, who also made an unbeaten half-century in New Zealand's seven-wicket win over the Twenty20 world champions in Christchurch on Tuesday, produced another great innings when his team needed it most.

The wicketkeeper-batsman faced 55 balls and struck eight boundaries and a six. The only other New Zealanders to pass 20 were opener Jesse Ryder (26) and Ross Taylor (27).

Yuvraj Singh top-scored for India with 50 off 34 deliveries, featuring three sixes and three fours, but received little support apart from captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (28 not out) and opener Virender Sehwag (24).

The pathan brothers have put on a gem of a stand

India need just five off the last over. These two are following up on what the Husseys did against New Zealand earlier today. Can Malinga stop them? The odds, though, are not in his favour.Atlast I.KPathan hits the ball out of the ground.Ofcourse,they are T20 champions.What a finish by the world T20 champions........

India have fought back superbly here. A win seemed unlikely at 115 for 7 but the Pathan brothers had other ideas. Yusuf got things going, ensuring the spinners were taken off the attack after launching into Bandara. Dilshan resisted from bringing Jayasuriya back, but his fast bowlers, particularly Fernando, leaked way too many extras to allow India bring the game back in their favour.

Yusuf Pathan is the Man of the Match.

Dilshan : "I thought 170 was defendable. We started well, picked some early wickets, but both Yusuf and Irfan played really well. We conceded too many extras, that eventually made the difference."Dhoni: "Their spinners bowled really well, and although our batsmen struggled, it's a good learning curve for them. There are lots of youngsters in our team and stiff matches like these is a great learning experience."

Hussey brothers help Australia level series

The Hussey brothers ensured the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy would be decided by Friday's final match in Brisbane after they helped Australia to a six-wicket win that levelled the series 2-2. For the first time in the series New Zealand batted first and they posted a moderate 244, which on a good pitch was not enough against an Australian batting order starting to find form.
The game was to some degree overshadowed by the Victorian bushfire appeal that surrounded it, with contributions from players, sponsors, spectators and administrators totalling just over $6 million. But while Australia had failed to beat South Africa at the same venue on Australia Day, this time they did get over the line at Adelaide on another special, if more sombre, occasion.
Fittingly Michael Hussey brought up the win with a six over long-on, adding another $5000 to the tally after the Commonwealth Bank pledged that amount for every six in the game. It confirmed the win with ten balls to spare but much of the hard work was done by Australia's bowlers, who did well to restrict New Zealand to a middling total.
However, there were a couple of jitters in the Australian camp when Brad Haddin, fresh from a century in Sydney on Sunday and looking good once again, was run out for 43 thanks to an awful call from David Hussey. It left Australia at 3 for 101 in the 25th over and the match was very much in the balance.
The onus was then on the out-of-form Hussey to repay his side with a big innings and he delivered. He struck his highest one-day international score of 79 and combined in a 115-run partnership with his older brother that made sure the required run-rate was never too much more than six.
Importantly Australia made sensible use of the batting Powerplay, which they took with nine overs to go and a further 55 runs required. David Hussey punched the ball confidently through the off-side gaps and although he fell during the five-over period, bowled by an Iain O'Brien yorker, Australia were by then in control and took 37 runs from the Powerplay.
Siddle's appeal
Peter Siddle flew to Adelaide to join the Australia squad for the ODI against New Zealand but could not break into the side to make his debut. Instead, he found another way to occupy his time while his team-mates were on the field.
Siddle was roaming through the crowd collecting money for the Victorian bushfire appeal and there was a personal significance for him. Siddle's family lives in Gippsland, where some of the fires took place, and he said his brother had lost friends to the deadly blaze.
"It's hard to get a word out of him," Siddle said. "He doesn't want to talk about it. It's tough times for everyone."
By the end of the game, the Commonwealth Bank appeal had raised $6,023,643 via a combination of donations from players, spectators and TV viewers, the bank, Cricket Australia, the South Australian Cricket Association and gate receipts.
In his first ODI at his home venue, Callum Ferguson calmly helped Michael Hussey pick off the remaining runs and they got home with ease. Michael Hussey's unbeaten 75 was yet another superb innings - he entered the game with a lowest score of 49 from his past four efforts - and he made New Zealand pay for putting him down twice.
The first was a terribly hard chance when he was on 3 and pulled Daniel Vettori viciously to midwicket, where Martin Guptill just got his fingertips to the ball. But the second opportunity was particularly frustrating for New Zealand as Hussey pulled Grant Elliott hard and flat into the deep, where Craig Cumming spilled what he should have taken. It was not a good return to ODIs after a near four-year absence for Cumming, who had earlier made a duck.
He was not the only one of the New Zealanders who struggled with the bat and they were unsure of the right tempo in setting a target. Chasing is their preferred method and in the past two years they have won nine ODIs batting first compared to 19 batting second. Only a late spike from Ross Taylor and Kyle Mills pushed them to a respectable score after they had stumbled to 6 for 173 in the 42nd over.
Mills added $5000 to the bushfire appeal when his enormous hook off Mitchell Johnson went out of the ground. But it was Taylor who was in charge of the recovery mission and his 76 from 71 balls continued his impressive series.
He was eventually caught top-edging a pull off Johnson, who finished with 3 for 51, and Taylor was one of four New Zealand specialist batsmen who lost their wickets to top-edged hooks and pulls. The extra pace and bounce surprised them and Johnson used it to get rid of Guptill (45) and Elliott (26), while Neil Broom also skied one off Ben Hilfenhaus.
James Hopes was again dangerous with 2 for 37 and Michael Clarke proved an economical spin option. He also removed Brendon McCullum, who passed a late fitness test on his right shoulder and played an uncharacteristically cautious innings of 33 from 55 balls.
Like most of his team-mates, McCullum seemed unsure of how quickly he needed to score batting first and there seems little doubt that at the Gabba on Friday, New Zealand will be keen to chase if given the chance. The Chappell-Hadlee Trophy could depend on it.

India fail to whitewash Sri Lanka, win series 4-1

Sri Lanka stopped India's nine-match winning streak beating them by 68 runs in the fifth and the final One-day International but couldn't stop the visitors from clinching the cricket series 4-1 here Sunday.

Chasing a mammoth target of 321, India were all out for 252 in 48.5 overs after Yuvraj Singh scored a blistering 73 and debutant Ravindra Jadeja remained unbeaten on a fine 60.

The chief architects of Sri Lanka's pride-saving win were Tillekaratne Dilshan (97) and Man of the Match Kumar Sangakkara (84), who helped the hosts get 320 runs on board for the loss of eight wicket.

While chasing the target, India were off to a poor start right from the word go, as Gautam Gambhir (13), Virender Sehwag (6) and Suresh Raina were all back to the pavilion by the ninth over.

Man of the Series Yuvraj Singh (73) and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (53) brought some stability to the innings with some smart hitting. Both played in their typical style and freed their arms on both sides of the wicket. At a time when the partnership was looking good, Muttiah Muralitharan took a brilliant catch off his own bowling to get rid of Yuvraj.

Indians paid heavily for failing to build partnerships and the highest was 55 for the seventh wicket between Dhoni and debutant Ravindra Jadeja (60).

Earlier opting to bat, Dilshan held the innings with a well-struck 97 while Sangakkara scored a 70-ball 84 to salvage some pride for Sri Lanka.

Sanath Jayasuriya (37) gave a flying start to Sri Lanka's efforts to prevent the ignominy of a 5-0 whitewash, and Dilshan and Sangakkara played sensible innings to pose a tough challenge for India.

Jayasuriya started his onslaught by hitting Ishant Sharma (3-60) with his trademark clip over mid-wicket. In the young fast bowler's fourth over, Jayasuriya pulled him twice for four over the square leg boundary.

Jayasuriya departed in the 11th over top-edging Irfan Pathan to Suresh Raina. But even after his dismissal, the scoring rate didn't decline as both Dilshan and Sangakkara kept on piling runs at a steady rate and added 143 runs for the second wicket.

The duo frustrated the Indians and forced skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to try out nine bowlers. Comeback man Lakshmipathy Balaji proved expensive and conceded 32 runs from his five overs while debutant Ravindra Jadeja gave away 40 from his six overs.

It took a brilliant effort from Rohit Sharma to get rid of Sangakkara off Yuvraj Singh. Dilshan and Thilan Kadamby (26) kept the scoreboard moving. Rohit was again superb on the field and this time his direct throw stopped Dilshan three runs away from a deserving century.

Windies rout England for 51

West Indies won by an innings and 23 runs

Well, what a breathless, brilliant day of Test cricket for West Indies who win by an innings-and-23-runs. Gayle receives handshakes (and a hug) from Pietersen and then salutes the crowd who, to a man, are standing and applauding this rare win at Sabina Park. It's just pure elation for West Indies out there - almost disbelief.

England, though, are disconsolate. It's their third-lowest Test total (their second-lowest of 46 came here in the Caribbean in 1994) and today their batsmen have lacked application and intent, against Jerome Taylor whose 5 for 11 won't be forgotten for a while.

It's been so long that West Indies' fans have had cause to cheer this long and hard, and the players - who, to be honest, look shell-shocked - are walking around a sun-baked ground to wave to the supporters. An outstanding allround performance from a team which - whisper it - might have turned the corner.

"Now's not the time to be too hasty on these things. We haven't played well. As a batting unit, there's very little positive to come out of this Test. We have to take it on the chin and move on."

Strauss: "We were entirely outplayed by a very good WI side. We've not done outselves justice. Our bowlers stuck to the task well but we batted very, very poorly today and paid the price."

Here's Chris Gayle, with a smile as wide as ever. "Brilliant day. It's come full circle. Sarwan batted really well, Nash batted well and everyone else chipped in. Benn bowled brilliantly, but Taylor picking up five was [superb]. It's good to see our allround cricket improving. The support was tremendous here, as ever. Hopefully we can move on from strength to strength."We'll definitely go for a drink tonight, but we won't over-do it. We'll enjoy it though."

Ponting rushed back to save Oz blushes

Australia skipper Ricky Ponting has been rushed back from a break in a bid to save the hosts from a humiliating series defeat at home to New Zealand.
Ponting was allowed a break in the middle of the series against touring New Zealand after Australia lost the opening limited overs encounter. The decision had invited widespread criticism from the former greats of the sport loving nation.
Michael Clarke was told to lead the team in his absence. However, a loss to the Kiwis on Friday in Melbourne in the second of the five-match series put the hosts in the danger of losing the series if New Zealand with a 2-0 lead, manage one victory in rest three games.
Australia will take on New Zealand in Sydney on Sunday. The hosts were restricted to 181 in Perth in the opening match and 225 for five from 50 overs in Melbourne. According to a report published in an Australia website, Ponting has been called back to bolster the depleted Australian batting attack.
Australia loss on Friday moved India one spot up in the world ODI rankings to number two as the Aussies were pushed down to number three.

ICC ODI Championship

Team Matches Points Rating
South Africa 34 4245 125
India 45 5487 122
Australia 35 4241 121
New Zealand 29 3389 117
Pakistan 31 3446 111
England 32 3469 108
Sri Lanka 42 4336 103
West Indies 27 2463 91
Bangladesh 38 1731 46
Zimbabwe 32 736 23
Ireland 10 190 19
Kenya 12 0 0

India in Sri Lanka 2008-09

The plan is simple, the results impressive

In early 2008, RP Singh spoke of Mahendra Singh Dhoni's captaincy. "Sometimes in ODIs, since Dhoni is behind the wicket, you don't get to communicate that often. The nature of the format means you don't change your plans too much. There are generally just two spells to be bowled," he had said. "So under Dhoni, you execute what you have already decided off the field and when you change, he would come running to you and discuss."
Nearly a year later, Dhoni has been running to Ishant Sharma during match situations almost pleading with his bowler to bowl to a plan and to set fields, and to experiment only within those parameters. This is the mantra Dhoni has been harping on since he became captain.
Strait-jacketing a bowler within a pre-determined plan might seem like killing his creativity but Dhoni sees it just as sticking to a method and being disciplined. According to him, the plan is drawn up before a game in conjunction with the bowler and thus allows for the creativity to flourish as a part of the system; he is simply against making an impromptu decision on the fly. "It's better to have a plan - may be a bad plan - in mind than be confused," Dhoni said. "When you are the top of the bowling mark, you need to have one clear thought of where to bowl.
"If you are going to bowl a slower one, then you need a deep midwicket, not a third man," Dhoni said after the second ODI. He wanted better clarity of thought from Ishant, who took the most wickets but was expensive in the Powerplay in that game.
In the absence of Harbhajan Singh, Dhoni has relied on his fast bowlers to take wickets. And in the era of the batting Powerplays, especially on flat tracks and without your specialist spinner, the role of a fast bowler becomes critical.
Ishant knows what he has to do and where he is going wrong. "I get to bowl three or four overs at the start and then I have to come again and bowl in the Powerplay," he said today. "You just have to stick to your fields. I don't have to do too many experiments."
Ishant has seven wickets at an average 26.14, second to the left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha, but it has come at an economy rate of 6.10. That is the highest for an Indian bowler to have bowled over seven overs in the series.
Ishant, who likes to hit the deck and derive pace off the track, has struggled a bit on the sluggish pitches. "Bowling has been difficult as the ball does not come on. It's not a big thing," he said. "The Indian wickets are similar and I am learning to bowl in all conditions. Zaheer [Khan] advises us in the nets and even during matches. When I am struggling or not bowling well in the game, he comes and tells me what to do."
When you are winning everything, the team spirit does tend to be exaggerated. But there are some pleasant signs that have been a constant feature in the series. Zaheer has constantly talked with Ishant in the nets and during the games. Venkatesh Prasad, India's bowling coach, has been intensively working with all the bowlers in the practice sessions. During practice Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag have been suggesting to the bowlers on where they are going wrong and what lines to bowl.
In the middle, the captain has led by example. Dhoni got out in the 90s in the last game, going for the big shot and he explained it thus: "There was a ball change in the 34th over and we had to take the second Powerplay as well. So I thought one of the batsmen had to quickly get his hundred and capitalise in the Powerplay." Even cynics will have to admit that that there is at least clarity of thought and a sense of purpose in the ranks. Every one appears to know what their role in the team is. Not for nothing are India ranked No. 2 in the official ICC rankings.
The doubters will say that the hard job is sustain over a period of time - year after year, month after month, day after day, spell after spell, ball after ball. India is looking at it in the other way - Do it ball after ball and the rest will follow. An interesting 2009 lies ahead of us.

India's aim is No. 1, says Kirsten

Gary Kirsten has said that India's goal in 2009 is to be the No. 1 team in the world. India's coach, who has received praise from many in the Indian team, felt the side's biggest improvement in recent times was the way they prepared for a game.
Following Australia's loss to New Zealand in the second ODI at the MCG, India have moved to second place in the ICC's official ODI rankings. "Getting to No. 1 is the obvious goal for this year," said Kirsten, "but it's not playing too much on our minds. To do that, it's important for the basics to be right. We are just trying to focus on taking it game by game and series by series. The team ethic is great. Everyone is preparing really well for a game and we are moving in the right direction."
Today's was an optional nets session at the R Premadasa, and the attendees included Sachin Tendulkar, L Balaji, Irfan Pathan and Ravindra Jadeja. Tendulkar batted for 45 minutes and was constantly chatting with the bowlers on the correct line to bowl. Venkatesh Prasad, India's bowling coach, spent lots of time with Irfan, primarily working on his length. Tendulkar even bowled to Jadeja and passed some tips now and then to the young allrounder.
Irfan's form has been a concern for India. Given the new ball in the last game - his only appearance on tour so far - Irfan ended up with 3 for 58 from seven overs; his first spell read 5-0-42-1 as Sanath Jayasuriya went after him. India have been using their slow bowlers in the middle overs, retaining the seamers for the Powerplays.
Kirsten had earlier said the lack of an allrounder who bowls seam had forced the team to take that route, and he felt it had been a bit difficult for Irfan as he has been in and out of the team. "I really can't comment after just one game," said Kirsten. "He [Irfan] is working hard in the nets. He has a good work ethic and hopefully will get the rewards for it."
To be the No. 1 team in the world, Kirsten said that India would have to dominate the opposition consistently. It was something that Gautam Gambhir also stressed upon, while talking about the dead-rubber game at this same venue on February 8. "When you playing for your country you can't take any game lightly," he said. "It's going to be a fantastic achievement if we can make it 5-0. You want to be a part of the team which is creating this history.
"You can't just think that you have won the series 4-0 and be complacent for the next game. It doesn't happen with us. When you go onto the field you go to win and not just compete. Great teams are those that carry the momentum forward into every game."
India have won the series and the final match is to be played at the R Premadasa as well.

2009 IPL AUCTION

List of players sold (base price in brackets; all numbers in US$)

Shaun Tait to Rajasthan Royals 375,000 (250,000)

JP Duminy to Mumbai Indians 950,000 (300,000)

Andrew Flintoff to Chennai Super Kings 1.55 million (950,000)

Kevin Pietersen to Bangalore Royal Challengers 1.55 million (1.35 million)

Fidel Edwards to Deccan Chargers 150,000 (150,000)

Owais Shah to Delhi Daredevils 275,000 (150,000)

Paul Collingwood to Delhi 275,000 (250,000)

Tyron Henderson to Rajasthan 650,000 (100,000)

Ravi Bopara to Kings XI Punjab 450,000 (150,000)

Thilan Thushara to Chennai 140,000 (100,000)

Jesse Ryder to Bangalore 160,000 (100,000)

Kyle Mills to Mumbai 150,000 (150,000).

Dwayne Smith to Deccan Chargers 100,000 (100,000)

Jerome Taylor to Punjab 150,000 (150,000)

Mohammad Ashraful to Mumbai 75,000 (75,000)

Mashrafe Mortaza to Kolkata Knight Riders 600,000 (50,000)

George Bailey to Chennai 50,000 (50,000)

Unsold players: Stuart Clark, Brad Haddin, Chamara Kapugedara, Ashwell Prince, Phil Jaques, Andre Nel, Luke Wright, Nuwan Kulasekara, Samit Patel, Shakib Al Hasan, Morne van Wyk, Steven Smith, Ashley Noffke, Gulam Bodi, Daren Powell, Tamim Iqbal, Jon Moss, Bryce McGain, James Franklin, Aiden Blizzard, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Michael Klinger, Kaushalya Weeraratne, Prasanna Jayawardene, Dominic Thornley, Yusuf Abdulla, Daniel Harris, Kemar Roach, Aaron Bird, Michael Dighton, Michael Hill and Brett Geeves.