Spot-fixing: Gurunath brought face-to-face with Vindoo during questioning....

Mumbai: Mumbai police on Sunday `confronted` CSK team owner Gurunath Meiyappan with actor Vindoo Dara Singh during questioning about IPL spot-fixing and betting.

Police also collected Gurunath`s voice sample for verification of telephonic conversations he had allegedly had with Vindoo, recorded by investigators.

"Gurunath and Vindoo were today made to sit face-to-face and questioned," a senior crime branch official said.

The confrontation was crucial for the investigation as Vindoo, soon after his arrest, had told the crime branch officials that he had placed bets on Meiyappan`s behalf.

Vindoo was arrested on May 21 by the city crime branch, while Meiyappan, son-in-law of BCCI president N Srinivasan, was arrested late Friday night.

Vindoo, son of the late wrestler-actor Dara Singh, was allegedly in "frequent touch" with Meiyappan during the IPL matches and has reportedly told crime branch sleuths that the CSK owner had lost Rs 1 crore through betting.

While seeking Gurunath`s custody yesterday, crime branch told the local court that he had placed huge bets on IPL matches after fixing the game. "First, a particular match was fixed, then Gurunath used to place huge bets on those matches," police`s remand application said.

The CSK `Team Principal` shared inside information about the franchise team with the bookies to make money, crime branch told the court.

The remand application said that crime branch also intended to investigate Gurunath`s relations with the controversial Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf, who was allegedly in touch with bookies.

Gurunath was yesterday remanded in police custody till May 29. 

Spot-fixing: Srinivasan still defiant, attacks media for unfair statements.....

Kolkata: Yet again rejecting demands for his resignation, BCCI President N Srinivasan today announced setting up of a three-member commission to go into allegations against his son-in-law and CSK Team Principal Gurunath Meiyappan who has been arrested on charges of betting.

Asserting that he has done nothing wrong and that there was no revolt against him in BCCI, he made it clear that he cannot be "railroaded, pushed and threatened to quit".

"My support is complete and not one member in BCCI has asked for my resignation", he told a press conference after meetings with Board officials including IPL Chairman Rajeev Shukla and Vice-President Arun Jaitley.

"I have a job and we will act strictly. I assure you, the BCCI will act without fear or favour to investigate and if player, franchise or owners have breached any rules, action will be taken", he said.

The three-member enquiry commission will consist of two members of the IPL Operations Commitee and an independent person in whose appointment he will have no role. The five members of the committee are Arun Jaitley, Rajeev Shukla, Sanjay Jagdale, Ajay Shirke and Ravi Shastri.

"Two of them along with an independent commissioner will go into charges against Meiyappan and we will abide by their report. There will be an independent person and I will await the report as much as you. I will not shirk from my duty," he said in reply to a volley of questions on what action was being proposed against Gurunath.

Srinivasan said there was no allegation against CSK as a team.

As for Gurunath, he said he did not have any role in the running of the team. He was enthusiastic and has been travelling with the team.

"What is his role, whether he transcended any rules. The Commission will deal with it. The enquiry commission will go into it. I have nothing to say, I am not going to sit and explore what his role was or was not.

"All these questions will be gone into. I have distanced myself. I will not be part of the committee or its discussions," Srinivasan said.

At the start of the press conference, he said the last few days have been difficult for the BCCI and for him as the President.

"You would appreciate that these days have also been difficult for me as father and father in law. However I sit here as BCCI President and set aside all personal feelings. I will not shirk from my duties however difficult they might be," he said.

Answering questions on how the CSK was run, he said the India Cements which owns CSK ran 10 or 12 teams in Chennai cricket league and has been supporting cricket by employing cricketers of these teams on its staff for over 50 years.

The CFO of India Cements handle the finances of the CSK and another top official of the company handled its marketing and other operations.To a pointed question, he said "first and foremost, I am not an accused. I have done nothing wrong. What is his (Gurunath's) role...He did not have any role in the management. Let the Commission go into it. It will give the report to the Board as a whole. I will play no role. Everything will be done swiftly."

Srinivasan said there were a number of provisional sanctions to suspend or terminate franchisees under the operational rules if any one is found in breach of them.

Referring to media reports on the termination clause 11.3 in the franchise contract, he said it is for the commission to look into these allegations. Principles of natural justice will be followed and the other person has a right to fair hearing.

He said some of the news reports have gone over board in writing about the current developments and its a trial by media.

There have been vested interests and there has been a smear campaign against him. Television channels have been relentless and sometimes they were reporting "unverifiable statements" against him.

Giving an illustration, he said there were reports that there was going to be revolt against him in BCCI.

"It is completely untrue. There is complete unity. I have not been asked by anybody to resign. My support is complete. I intend to continue my duties as President".

"I have been elected to do a duty and there will be no discrimination. BCCI will act in a just and fair manner. BCCI is determined to work to justify peoples' faith in the tournament (IPL) and the BCCI," he said.

Srinivasan said the BCCI's Anti-Corruption Unit report on the allegation of spot-fixing by the Rajasthan Royals players S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan, Ajit Chandila and Amit Singh will be submitted on time.

"The BCCI will continue to offer assistance to the police and if the inquries bring any suspicion on any other players" he said.

"With regard to Gurunath, the legal process has already started and he's facing police investigation. The BCCI has already taken the decision to provisionally suspend him from all activities in cricket and particularly from all involvement within CSK franchise.

"The management of the other franchise, the Rajasthan Royals will also be subject to same inquiry procedure. I am not part of this commission and I will not play any role in its appointment, deliberations or decision," he said.

He said if anyone was found in breach or liable under the operational rules, will face sanctions. "The operation rules provide a number of potential sanctions ranging from fine to suspensions and in the extreme the termination of the franchise".

Srinivasan said the BCCI was very concerned by the allegation that have been made concerning the IPl whether those relate to betting or spotfixing.

"As I've said on a number of occasions, the BCCI will act firmly and strictly if the allegations are proven. The principles of natural justice are every person has a right to hearing and to be considered innocent until proven guilty.

Srinivasan said the IPL was very important and it gave an opportunity for young Indian players to play with senior Indian and overseas players in front of capacity crowd. It helped bring a new audience to the game. 

"This season over 21 lakh people bought tickets to watch matches. The IPL continues to contribute to the funds for the development of cricket in India", Srinivsan said.

"Over 200 former cricketers have received a one-time benefit. The total amount spent were over a 100 crores rupees from funds generated by the IPL.

"I do not want to minimise the problems facing the IPL. Indians have been very proud that our country has produced a league that is the envy of the world. The BCCI will take whatever steps necessary to justify the faith that the public have in the IPL and in Indian cricket," he said.

Asked to comment on former IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi's demand for his resignation and scrapping of CSK franchise, Srinivasan said "I dont reply to fugitives". 

Salman Khan comes out in support of Sana Khan

New Delhi: Salman Khan – who was nowhere to be seen on twitter since March 1, 2013 – has made a sudden appearance on the social networking site, and that too for a cause – to save Sana Khan’s image from being tainted.


The actor – who is launching newbie Sana Khan in his upcoming venture ‘Mental’ – looked a bit disturbed in the series of tweets about the allegedly wrong news that has been doing the rounds about her.

“Poor sana,so sad. 1st let her b cm famous then try n get sm publicity from her. This is the problem chappo any thing galat bhi ho toh,” he said in one tweet.

He then tweeted, “Y wld a girl kidnap a 15 year old? Fr money? To get her married, At 4pm in a populated area.investigate the complainants. Kamaal hai yaar.”

“Obviously must b scared n running around n hiding, they hv a arrest warrant on her , 5 dharas , jail is not big boss`s house dude .SAD,” was in his third tweet.

In his latest tweet he says “Obviously those people must have sm ulterior motives. worked vit her on bigg boss, u hv seen her fr 3months every day wat do u think ?”

The ‘Dabangg’ hitmaker further tweeted, “Ways of making a name n money. Challo u guys tell me, obviously vit out working hard n earning it vit dignity n respect. Batao. Vil retweet”

A friend in need is a friend indeed, or is there something more than what meets the eye... We’ll have to wait to find the truth out, it seems!

No miracles to resolve India-China disputes: Antony....

Ezhimala: Noting that a spirit of cooperation and competition prevailed between India and China, Defence Minister AK Antony on Saturday said negotiations to resolve the disputes between the two will take their own time and he does not expect any "miracles". 

"It is cooperation and competition... Naturally. Both are neighbours and we have to work together. There are many areas where our relations are growing and disputes in some areas for which we are trying to find solutions through negotiations. I do not expect miracles to find a solution to them. It will take its own natural time," he said. On the whole, relations between the two countries was improving, he said. 

Stating that India would continue strengthening its capability along the borders as part of continuing process, he noted that China, a modern country with a growing economy, was strengthening is armed forces and infrastructure along their borders. 

"India is also a growing country. Indian economy is also growing and it is natural that we strengthen our capability and infrastructure along our borders on Indian soil." 

Antony said the Indian armed forces were now better equipped than ever and one of the best in the world and that the country's borders- land, sea and air - are "very very safe". 

"Now Indian Armed forces are better equipped and their morale is very high. Our borders -- land, sea and air are very safe. Our country's security is in safe hands. I am proud of our armed forces," he said. 

He said there was a time when developed nations considered India not that modern, but that has changed and now everybody was keen to have close cooperation with its armed forces. 

"Times have changed. You forget about the past. Now Indian armed forces are better equipped and their morale is very high. Now we are one of the best in the world," he said. 

Antony said the services of the Indian Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard are now in greater demand. 

The Armed Forces have defence cooperation with nearly 48 countries now, he said and added that all Navies in the world want to have joint exercises with their Indian counterpart. 

"In fact we find it difficult to accommodate," he said. 

Chennai Super Kings won’t be suspended from IPL: Reports..

New Delhi: The growing scale of the IPL spot-fixing scam notwithstanding, Sunday's final of the event would go ahead as per schedule and the embattled Chennai Super Kings would also continue to be a part of the league despite the arrest of its top official on allegations of betting.CSK seem to be a team in turmoil after Gurunath Meiyappa, son-in-law of BCCI President N Srinivasan and the CEO of the side, was arrested by the Mumbai Police on Friday.

Asked whether CSK would face termination as per clause 12.3 (c) of the IPL contracts for team, the source said, "so far the allegations have not been proved in the court of law. A person has to be found guilty, right now the Mumbai Police are interrogating him (Gurunath)."


The clause provides for termination if a franchisee, any franchisee group company and/or any owner acts in any way which adversely affects the reputation or standing of the league, the BCCI-IPL or the game of cricket. 
The final, between Chennai Super Kings and the Mumbai Indians, will go ahead at the Eden Gardens, a top BCCI revealed.

Dravid hopes spot fixing truth will be revealed......

Kolkata: Rajasthan Royals skipper Rahul Dravid hopes that investigators "get to the bottom of the mess and reveal the truth" about spot fixing.

"I believe truth sets you free. I sincerely hope that we get to the bottom of this mess and reveal whatever the truth is, no matter how painful it is," Dravid told media persons after his team went down fighting to the Mumbai Indians in the second qualifier match at the Eden Gardens Friday.

Batting for the league, Dravid said the menace of betting was not peculiar to the IPL. 

"Betting is not an issue only with the IPL, but also with the international cricket. But you don`t stop the game for that. Instead of making big statements like cancelling the IPL, I think we must all focus on facing the challenge."

"IPL is a fantastic tournament with lots of positives. But then there will be challenges which one has to face. There is no point throwing the baby out with the bathwater," said Dravid.The IPL scam, which seems to be getting bigger by the day, came to light when Rajasthan Royals` S. Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan were arrested on spot fixing charges last week.

Chennai Super King`s Gurunath Meiyappan, who is the son-in-law of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Narayanswamy Srinivasan, was arrested late Friday.

Admitting that the scandal has come as a rude shock, the stylish batsman said it would take time for him and his team members to overcome it.

"You plan for lot of things including failures and disappointment. But when a thing like this comes up, you don`t know what to do. It`s challenging. It will take time for all of us to get over this," Dravid added.

IPL Spot-fixing Live: Gurunath sent to police custody till May 29........

Mumbai: The IPL spot-fixing saga is getting murkier with each passing day. 

Be on this page to stay abreast of the lastest developments.

# Gurunath Meiyappan has been sent in Police custody till May 29.

# Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath says that in wake of the massive IPL scandal, Srinivasan must resign from the post of BCCI's president. His position has become untenable.

# Srinivasan has spoken to the media for the first time since the arrest of his son-in-law in the spot fixing case. He reiterated that he has no intention of resigning and won't be bulldozed into doing it.

"I have done nothing wrong. I have no intention of resigning. BCCI will strictly follow its rule and the law will take its course," he said after reaching Mumbai.

# BCCI president N Srinivasan has reached Mumbai.

# As per latest reports, Meiyappan has been produced in a Mumbai court.

# The BCCI will take decision on N Srinivasan and CSK only after the conclusion of the current season of IPL. Meanwhile, N Srinivasan has left Madurai for Mumbai.

# Meiyappan is being questioned alongwith Vindoo Dara Singh. Meiyappan has reportedly accepted that he knew Vindoo.
# Gurunath Meiyappan, son-in-law of BCCI president N. Srinivasan, will be produced in front of a magistrate.

Meiyappan was arrested on Friday night after being questioned in the Mumbai crime branch. 

#Even as the arrest of his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan has given rise to the demands of his resignation from the post of BCCI’s president, N Srinivasan is defiant saying there is no question of him quitting the cricket board. 

"I have done nothing wrong. There is no question of my resigning. My conscience is clear," Srinivasan told a news channel on Friday.The clamour for Indian cricket board president Narayanswamy Srinivasan`s resignation has got louder after his Meiyappa’s arrest.

Chennai Super Kings, however, sought to distance itself from Meiyappan, whose name cropped up during questioning of Bollywood actor Vindu Dara Singh Randhawa, the franchise saying Meiyappan was neither the chief executive nor the team principal and was just an honorary member of the management committee.

Earlier in the week, Meiyappan`s name had cropped up during the interrogation of arrested actor Vindoo Dara Singh whose custody has also been extended till 28 May.

MUMBAI IN FINAL AFTER TENSE FINISH.....

• Rajasthan Royals innings
• Wet Ground: Rajasthan Royals - 0/0
• Rain: Rajasthan Royals - 0/0
• Powerplay 1: Overs 0.1 - 6.0 (Mandatory - 42 runs, 0 wicket)
• Rajasthan Royals: 50 runs in 7.5 overs (47 balls), Extras 1
• Rajasthan Royals: 100 runs in 13.4 overs (82 balls), Extras 2
• Rajasthan Royals: 150 runs in 19.4 overs (118 balls), Extras 6
• 7th Wicket: 50 runs in 27 balls (BJ Hodge 14, DH Yagnik 31, Ex 7)
• Innings Break: Rajasthan Royals - 165/6 in 20.0 overs (BJ Hodge 19, DH Yagnik 31)

• Mumbai Indians innings
• Powerplay 1: Overs 0.1 - 6.0 (Mandatory - 45 runs, 0 wicket)
• Mumbai Indians: 50 runs in 7.1 overs (43 balls), Extras 1
• 1st Wicket: 50 runs in 43 balls (DR Smith 26, AP Tare 25, Ex 1)
• Mumbai Indians: 100 runs in 12.0 overs (72 balls), Extras 7
• DR Smith: 50 off 38 balls (6 x 4, 1 x 6)
• 2nd Wicket: 50 runs in 29 balls (DR Smith 28, KD Karthik 22, Ex 5)
• Mumbai Indians: 150 runs in 18.2 overs (110 balls), Extras 8

Gurunath Meiyappan arrested in Mumbai......

Gurunath Meiyappan, a top official of the Chennai Super Kings franchise and son-in-law of the BCCI president N Srinivasan, has been formally arrested by Mumbai Police on charges of cheating, forgery and fraud. The development, late on Friday night, is the most serious setback to the IPL in its six-year history and has serious implications for the BCCI as well given the names involved.

As of early Saturday morning there was no news of an emergency BCCI meeting but it is expected that events will move fast through the day, to discuss the issue of leadership - though Srinivasan insisted he would not step down - and also Chennai Super Kings' participation in the IPL final on Sunday.

Gurunath had been summoned to Mumbai for questioning over betting and links to bookies and flew in on Friday evening.

"We have interrogated Mr Gurunath after he arrived here at the crime branch headquarters," Himanshu Roy, the joint commissioner of Mumbai Police, said. "We have gone through questioning with him in detail and after due deliberation, we have arrived at the conclusion there is evidence of involvement in offence we are investigating and therefore he has been placed under arrest. He will be produced in court within 24 hours as per law."

Reports suggest Gurunath's interrogation in Mumbai will continue through Friday night, and he will also be confronted with Virender "Vindoo" Dara Singh, the actor arrested earlier this week for alleged contact with bookies. Police investigations suggested that Vindoo and Gurunath were in frequent telephonic contact. Vindoo was also seen in the CSK box at IPL matches.

Gurunath's lawyer PS Raman said: "We are exploring all legal possibilities. We are waiting for the remand report before reading the charges against him."

Srinivasan had not commented in public since the reports first emerged on Wednesday that his son-in-law was linked to the IPL scandal, but after the arrest he maintained he would not resign as BCCI president. "I have done nothing wrong," he told NDTV. "I am not resigning, the board is largely supportive of me."

Gurunath's connection to Super Kings was the subject of dispute through the day. He was the public face of the franchise, his Twitter handle said he was the "team principal", he was seen as Super Kings' representative at auctions and at IPL owners' meetings. Yet on Friday evening India Cements, the owners of the franchise and of which Srinivasan is the managing director, said Gurunath was only an honorary member of the team management.

The implications of Gurunath's arrest involve both Super Kings, who have qualified for the final to be played on May 26, and Srinivasan.

His arrest brings into question Super Kings' participation in the final - under IPL rules, the BCCI-IPL can terminate a franchise agreement "with immediate effect if: c) The Franchise, any Franchise Group Company and/ or any owner acts in any way which has a material adverse effect upon the reputation or standing of the League, BCCI-IPL, BCCI, the Franchise, the team (or any other team in the League) and/ or the game of cricket."

More importantly, and with wider implication, Srinivasan's position within the BCCI is likely to be under serious threat - not only because Meiyappan happens to be his son-in-law but because Srinivasan heads India Cements, who are owners of the Super Kings. The conflict of interest that arises from Srinivasan's dual position as BCCI president and de facto owner of an IPL franchise now has a serious immediate implication: he will, as board president, have to oversee any disciplinary action against either Gurunath or the franchise.

An IPL insider clarified that Meiyappan's change of designation was not likely to have any impact on the action that needs to be taken. "The moment you're a team management member, irrespective of the designation, the Anti-Corruption code applies to you. And nobody can deny the fact that he is a part of the ownership group and team management."

PM leaves on Monday for visits to Japan, Thailand......

New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh leaves on Monday on a three-day visit to Japan to give a fresh impetus to strategic partnership and push for early conclusion of a bilateral agreement on civil nuclear cooperation. 

Singh will hold talks with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe on a wide spectrum of issues of mutual interest and discuss ways to bolster strategic and global partnership between the two countries, Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai said.Asked about the civil nuclear cooperation agreement negotiations for which have not made much headway since Japan was struck by Fukushima nuclear disaster in March, 2011, he said, "Agreements always take a certain amount of time. Discussions have given some impetus recently." 

Indicating that several issues still need to be worked out, he said, "There are a number of stages we have to go through before we reach the signature. I can't put a date on it. We would certainly like to conclude this." 

"We hope to make by the end of this year more progress in this field," he said in response to questions.

Japanese officials have affirmed that Tokyo is committed to the nuclear cooperation pact notwithstanding its strong concerns over nuclear safety. 

While Japan has backed the Indo-US nuclear deal and the exemptions given to India from international technology sanctions, successive governments in Tokyo have found the going tough in garnering political support for it in the face of stiff opposition from the non-proliferation lobby in that country. 

Singh will be accompanied by National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon and senior officials. 

On his way back from Tokyo, Singh will visit Bangkok on May 30-31 aimed at elevating bilateral relations into a "strategic partnership" but the long-awaited Free Trade Agreement is unlikely to be inked with some sticky issues still to be sorted out. 

Gurunath leaves for Mumbai to appear before police.....

Madurai: Facing Mumbai Police summons for questioning in the spot-fixing scandal, Gurunath Meiyappan, CSK team owner and son-in-law of BCCI President N Srinivasan, on Friday left by a chartered aircraft for Mumbai to appear before the police. 

Gurunath, who has been named by actor Vindoo Dara Singh as being involved in betting, took the flight a little after 5 pm, the deadline set by Mumbai Police for appearing before them for questioning in connection with the scandal.

He is said to be accompanied by a noted lawyer of the Madras High Court P S Raman. Raman had arrived in the city earlier in the day and held consultations with Gurunath who reached here from Kodaikanal where his father-in-law owns an estate.Earlier in the day, the police had rejected Gurunath`s plea for appearing before them on Monday after the IPL final match which CSK will be playing in Kolkata.

Meiyappan is under the scanner for his proximity to Bollywood actor Vindoo Dara Singh, arrested for his alleged association with bookmakers.

On Thursday a four-member team from the Mumbai crime branch had come here looking for Meiyappan and carrying a brief to question him and in case he was not available, deliver summons to him, asking him to appear before the crime branch in Mumbai between 11 AM and 5 PM on Friday.

Since no one was present at his home, a copy of the summons was pasted at his residence and a copy delivered to CSK`s office here. 

Meiyappan only honorary member of CSK: India Cements....

Chennai: Gurunath Meiyappan, who has been facing the heat after his alleged links with arrested Vindoo Dara Singh came to light, has now been disowned by India Cements the owner of the Chennai Super Kings.

In a statement by India Cements, it has said that Meiyappan is neither the owner, CEO, nor the team Principal of the Chennai Super Kings. He is only an honorary member of the Chennai team management.

"Mr Gurunath is only one of the members (Honorary) of the Management Team of Chennai Super Kings. India Cements follows zero tolerance policy and if anyone is proved guilty, strict action will be taken immediately. India Cements assures full co-operation with BCCI and the Law Enforcement authorities," India Cements said in the statement.

India Cements has also assured full cooperation to the BCCI in its investigation against spot-fixing in the Indian Premiere League.

This statement comes after reports of the BCCI considering the termination of the franchise. 
source:zee

Salman Khan’s ‘Mental’ girl Sana Khan accused of kidnapping minor.....

New Delhi: Sana Khan – who is all set to make her Bollywood debut with Salman Khan’s ‘Mental - is absconding after being booked by the Navi Mumbai police for allegedly trying to kidnap a 15-year-old girl.


According to a leading daily, the teenager had refused her cousin Naved Khan`s advances. 

While Naved and two of his friends - Kshitij Gopinath Dubey and Vismit Vilas Ambre – have been arrested, the actress has gone into hiding, disrupting the entire shooting schedule of ‘Mental’. 

A 17-year old boy - who was with the accused when they tried to kidnap the girl - has been booked under the Juvenile Act. 

The 25-year-old actress – who became a household name after her stint in ‘Bigg Boss 6’ - has reportedly not reported on the sets of ‘Mental’ sets ever since the mother of the victim filed a complaint against her at the Turbhe police station on April 30. 

The complaint says that Sana had tried to kidnap the girl when she was returning from her class X tuitions. 

Senior Police Inspector Rajesh Katkar of Turbhe police station said that his teams are looking for this Bollywood newbie.

"One team had gone to the Oshiwara residence of the accused, but she was not there,” Katkar said.

On the other hand, a production assistant who deals with cast and crew of ‘Mental’, said that the entire team of the movie has no information about Sana going underground. 

“Our next shoot is scheduled early next week in Lavasa. If what you are telling me is true, then we are in big trouble,” she said. 

Congress president Sonia Gandhi is soft, I am not: Rahul........

New Delhi: With the Congress readying itself for an early Lok Sabha elections and electoral battles in key states, party vice-president Rahul Gandhi has sent out a strong message to his party colleagues that indiscipline and factionalism will be dealt with strongly. 

Talking to separate groups of Congress workers at DPCC office in Central Delhi, yesterday, Rahul underlined the need for better coordination between the party and the government while asking MLAs, MPs and senior leaders to start preparations for the polls slated for November. 

"The Congress President (Sonia Gandhi) is soft. But I am not soft. I will not tolerate indiscipline. We must work unitedly," Rahul was quoted as saying by two MLAs. Rahul has been trying hard to reinvigorate the party ahead of the crucial electoral battles starting with assembly polls in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. 

Among the areas that Rahul has identified for improvement is better coordination between the party and the government. 

The Congress scion’s remarks are being seen as a damage control measure in view of the - reported - bitter feud between Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and state Congress chief J P Agarwal. 

“He woke up all of us. We will fight elections together,” Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit told reporters after the meeting. 

Aggarwal also insisted the differences had been resolved. 

"The vision with which Rahul Gandhi is interacting with us clearly shows that his intention is to strengthen the Congress party in a way, that party can work for the people in the coming 40 years," said Chandini Chowk MP Kapil Sibal. 

Gurunath Meiyappan always had links with bookies of Chennai, Dubai, reveals N Srinivasan`s son........

Mumbai: His family is turning out to be his biggest enemy. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief N Srinivasan, who is already facing the heat with his son-in law Gurunath Meiyappan being sought by the police in connection with the probe into the spot-fixing scandal in the IPL, now has to contend with his disgruntled son, who has opened a can of worms about the family’s “dubious connections”. 

Ashwin, 44, minces no words while disclosing his brother-in-law’s alleged involvement in betting and spot-fixing. “Guru (he addresses Meiyappan that way) had several connections with known bookies from Chennai and Dubai and was regularly in touch with them even before the IPL started.” he said. “What began as a relatively smaller side-business became a full-fledged one over the years.”

Pointing out how Meiyappan is a Chettiar, a community known for its affinity to trade and business, Ashwin told dna: “He has been steadily increasing his foothold over my father’s business. Publicly, his wife and my sister Rupa is an executive director in India Cements, my father’s company, and Guru has agreed to merely remain the head of Chennai Super Kings.”

The MBA in finance from Cornell University is equally forthcoming about his father’s “questionable” decision to invest in a small aircraft, which needed refuelling, when he could own one. “On all his trips, to and from anywhere abroad, isn’t it strange that the mighty N Srinivasan has to waste four hours in Dubai every time while his aircraft refuels? And mind you, the fuel halt will not be at Kuwait, Sharjah or anywhere else,” the son of BCCI’s most powerful man disclosed.

“Who are these regular golf partners he plays with on these halts?” According to Ashwin, Srinivasan has the wherewithal to buy a bigger aircraft, but still chose to invest in one which requires a fuelling halt “for convenient reasons”.

Turning his ire to his brother-in-law again, Ashwin says Guru is purposely poisoning his parents’ mind to ensure that the rift between them widens. A year ago, Ashwin accused his father of homophobia and of using his clout to unleash a cycle of violence against him and his partner Avi Mukherjee. The couple alleged that the police picked them up from Escobar, an upmarket Bandra restaurant-pub, on April 30, 2012, and beat them with iron rods at the behest of Srinivasan.

Calling his brother-in-law ungrateful, Ashwin said: “He keeps raising my drug-addiction problem to tell people how he was pushed into lending a helping hand in my father’s businesses when even he knows that I am more qualified and experienced than him.” As proof that his partner and he stayed away from drugs since 2002, Ashwin showed dna their urine reports. Their psychiatrist Dr SL Khanna confirmed the same.

Ashwin reveals that his parents were unhappy when Guru and Rupa started dating each other after meeting at the Madras Club while playing pool. “They were livid because he was not a Brahmin, but a Chettiar. My mother, Chitra, threatened to disown Rupa, but my father, who cursed Guru and his family to the skies after gulping down five scotches every evening, had no qualms joining him over golf given the clout of his family-run AVM Group,” said Ashwin, who has in the past headed the projects department at the ABB Group’s Zurich office.

According to him, his parents were in talks with chess champion Viswanathan Anand for marrying Rupa, but she eventually married Guru. “When my maternal uncle Shankar passed away, my parents did not want to call them for the last rites, but I persisted with my mother and saw to it that they were called,” he revealed.

“Though Rupa and Guru have not spoken to me since I fell foul with my parents, I feel no rancour against them. But how can I tolerate him maligning me for a drug problem from a decade ago to manipulate my parents?”

Repeated attempts to reach Meiyappan and Srinivasan on their cellphones and their Chennai and Kodaikanal residences drew a blank.

ICC pull umpire Rauf from Champions Trophy..........

Pakistan umpire Asad Rauf has been withdrawn by the ICC from officiating in the upcoming Champions Trophy in England following media reports that indicated he was under investigation by Mumbai Police.

"In the wake of reports that the Mumbai Police are conducting an investigation into Asad Rauf's activities, we feel that it is in Asad's best interests as well as those of the sport and the event itself, that he is withdrawn from participating in the ICC Champions Trophy," Dave Richardson, the ICC chief executive, said in a statement on Thursday.

The ICC did not mention what the Mumbai Police were reportedly investigating Rauf for, and said it had no further comment to make. Rauf has been in India, officiating in the IPL, and so the PCB said it had "no role to play" and "nothing to do" with the development.

"He [Rauf] is an ICC umpire and was officiating in an Indian event with the consent and approval of the ICC, and whatever has happened it's on Indian soil," the PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf said. "We were only informed of his withdrawal by the ICC. We have no clue about what has happened and we have no control.

"In our next board meeting we are going to formulate a code for umpires and anyone found violating the code will be punished. So if BCCI wants our support we are happy to extend our help to them."

Iranian Scientist Claims to Have Built "Time Machine".........

An Iranian business mind seems to have brought the much yearned and dreamt of equipment- A time machine, into real time. Ali Razeghi, scientist from Tehran claims to have triumphed over time by building a machine that enables a user to fast track up to eight years in the future. He calls it “The Aryayek Time Travelling Machine” as the machine is registered with the Center for Strategic Inventions run Iran, by this name. 

Twenty seven years of age, Razaeghi claims that the machine uses a number of complex algorithms and predicts the future up to 5 (five) to 8 (eight) years with an accuracy of 98 percent. The machine apparently takes readings from the touch of hand and prints it accordingly. 

Ali is the managing director of the state’s Center for Strategic Inventions who had been working on this machine for ten years. The brilliant man already has 179 inventions in his name.

The machine is claimed to fit into a PC case and is meant to bring the future to the user. The most vital benefit of this device is that the government of Iran has the capability of predicting a military confrontation or even forecasting rise and fall of the currencies. The new device will also be able to predict the oil prices.

This device is meant to prepare the countries for various challenges that may dawn upon them in future. This device is expected to be marketed among states and individuals upon entering a stage of mass production.

According to Razeghi, this project of his wasn't welcomed by his friends and family as they thought Ali tried to play God with this invention. However, according to him, this device is no where against religious ethics. He says that Americans have been trying to create such a time machine for years wasting millions of dollars while he accomplished it with less than half the cost. 

Ali is hesitant in launching the prototype of the device as he suspects China of stealing the idea and producing it in manifold numbers.