News and Materials

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Sachin's ODI 200 in 'Time' magazine's top 10 sports moments

Iconic Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar's record-breaking ODI double century has found a place in the Time magazine's top 10 sports moments of the year.

"Certain sports milestones seem simply unreachable: In cricket, it's the one-day double-hundred: no man had ever produced 200 runs for his team during a one-day international match," 'The Time' said.

"In February, however, India's Sachin Tendulkar, the greatest run scorer of all-time, hit the magic milestone against a powerful South African squad.

"Tendulkar smacked three "sixes" - the cricket equivalent of a home run - during his epic performance, and the build up to 200 was exhilarating.

"When he reached 199, the home crowd in Gwalior waved Indian flags, and roared, knowing they were about to witness history. The diminutive Tendulkar, dubbed "The Little Master," slapped a single past the South African fielders. The world's 1.5 billion cricket fans had a moment they'd never forget," it said.

Nokia vs Android: Requiem?

By Tarmo Virki, European Technology Correspondent

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Mobile maker Nokia's Symbian operating system is on the ropes, its lead being stripped away blow by Android blow, but if its new boss throws in the software towel now, the relief will be brief and the scars permanent.

Stephen Elop, appointed Nokia's chief executive three months ago, is due to present his plans to arrest the market leader's decline early next year, and there are siren voices that would have him turn his back on mobile software and focus on handsets.

The runaway success of rival Apple's iPhone and its online App Store took Nokia by surprise, and while the Finnish firm still makes eight phones for every iPhone sold, for many quarters Apple has generated a bigger profit from its phone business than Nokia.

Following Apple's footsteps, Google rolled out its open-source Android operating system, which has become the standard for smaller phone makers. On current trends it will surpass Nokia's old workhorse Symbian in 2011 as the world's most used mobile OS.

"The software battles have been fought and won by Google and Apple. Nokia can either join the winning camp, or wither in a status quo of software wars already lost," said Alexander Peterc, analyst at Exane BNP Paribas.

Elop's personal history -- a former Microsoft executive -- gave vigour to rumours that Nokia would decide to use Google or Microsoft software in its smartphones.

This week in San Francisco, Android chief Andrew Rubin fuelled speculation further by ducking the question on possible talks with Nokia, while saying its new management was open to new ideas.

Nokia has undoubtedly had a rough time of it this year. Its shares have have fallen 15 percent, while the Stoxx Europe 600 Technology index has gained 13 percent.

It's entirely possible that by embracing Android its shares could avoid the punches for a while and rise a little; the company's costs would fall and it would enjoy the effects of moving with the newcomer's momentum instead of fighting to preserve a shrinking corner.

For his part, Elop said in October that using external software was an unlikely step.

Not just unlikely, but unwise, say others.

"When Nokia picks Android, investors will sell their shares," says John Strand, CEO of Danish telecoms consultancy Strand Consult. "That would be the day Nokia turns itself into a Dell of the mobile world."

He has a point; Nokia shares trade at 11.3 times next year's earnings, well below Apple's 16 times, but ahead of computer maker Dell's 9.1 times. At Dell's valuation, Nokia shares should be at 6.19 euros, not the 7.62 euros they traded for on Thursday.

Dell's gross margin is 18 percent, while Nokia's is still 31 percent, with Apple standing at 38 percent.

STRATEGIC ASSET

And the logic goes much deeper than just share price.

"For a company that regards software as a key strategic asset, shifting to Android and losing control of its own destiny would not be considered a viable option," said CCS Insight analyst Geoff Blaber.

"I do not think it would be a solution. That would be a failure," said Alan B. Lancz, president of wealth management firm Alan B. Lancz & Associates, which holds Nokia stock.

"Software is going to be a key component of their success; that's the reason they brought in Stephen."

To avoid becoming just a hardware manufacturer, Nokia is redoubling its efforts to develop its new open source smartphone platform MeeGo into a formidable rival to iPhone and Android.

Earlier this year Nokia and Intel, the world's largest semiconductor firm, merged their mobile Linux versions into MeeGo, which has reached consumers through one small tablet manufacturer, but Nokia delayed its rollout into 2011.

In October Elop dropped Symbian into the background of Nokia's software strategy, and all Nokia phones software will be developed with cross-platform Qt technology.

"It's providing an easier developer environment than the old Symbian tools, which were quite complex," Jo Harlow, the head of Nokia's smartphone unit, told Reuters in a recent interview.

Adam Leach, analyst with research firm Ovum, says selling the Qt story to external developers will be the key to success.

"They need to convince a lot more developers -- the ones currently working with Apple's iOS and Android. Developers need to buy into the story around Qt," Leach said.

Easier said than done.

When Alexandre de Rochefort, CFO of Gameloft, the world's second-largest mobile gaming firm, was asked last month of his company's plans for Qt development, he said he had not heard of the technology. But he was fluent in explaining the nuances of different Android versions.

Big B refuses Mallika

Long ago Mallika Sherawat had commented that the idea of Amitabh Bachchan running in slow motion was the sexiest image she could think of him and that embarrassed the senior actor a lot...

Big B says no to Mallika

Amitabh Bachchan has refused to work with Mallika Sherawat. Bachchan was approached by Kushan Nandy to work in a film. Mallika Sherawat had already spoken to the director and told him that she was ready to work with him if he could ensure that she gets to work with Amitabh Bachchan in it. But somehow that was not to be as Bachchan refused to share screen space with Ms Sherawat.

Long ago Mallika Sherawat had commented that the idea ofAmitabh Bachchan running in slow motion was the sexiest image she could think of him and that embarrassed the senior actor a lot. Bachchan too was told by his boss at home Jaya Bachchan not to work with a person like Mallika who was known more for her bold statements than her films. But then a lot of water has flowed under the bridge after that; the Big B is still not keen to work with her. Director Kushan Nandy is now looking at other actresses who could feature in the film with Bachchan.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Airlines pay no heed to govt on arbitraty fares

A day after Union civil aviation minster Praful Patel promised " corrective action" to check unreasonable fare hikes by airlines, all airlines on Sunday continued to charge exorbitant rates for last minute bookings. A visit to several ticket counters at Terminal 3 of Delhi airport revealed the obvious.

Jet Airways, just about two hours before departure, offered a full fare economy Delhi- Mumbai (7.45 pm) ticket at Rs 19,000. The airline, in order to cash in on the desperate latecomers, even offered ' flexi check in timing' less than 60 minutes before the flight.

Jet normally asks passengers to report two hours in advance. In the afternoon, Jet offered a full fare economy ticket at Rs 18,417 for the Delhi- Mumbai evening flight (8.35 pm). The morning flights were full.

A popular travel website offered economy class for Jet, for time slots (12 pm- 6 pm), at a price ranging between Rs 12,000 and Rs 16,000.

Air India's economy class ticket for the same destination, was available for Rs 14,200. This was offered about three hours before departure at 9 pm.

A travel website offered a reasonable fare of Rs 9,800 in the afternoon. And on Saturday, the evening flight for Mumbai was available at unbelievably low price of around Rs 6,500.

The officials at the ticket counters admitted that fare prices keep fluctuating. Kingfisher's Delhi- Mumbai flight was sold out and officials at the counter refused to share details of last minute fares.

In the afternoon, economy tickets for the evening flight for Mumbai were available at a price range of Rs 12,000 to Rs 14,000.

All tickets for Delhi- Mumbai evening flights for the low cost carriers like Indigo, GoAir, JetLite, SpiceJet were sold out.

These carriers offered fares which were almost on a par with full service carriers, ranging between Rs10,000 to Rs 16,000. A frequent flier on the Delhi- Mumbai sector, Rahul Sidana, recounted his experience. He had planned to fly to Mumbai on November 16 at the last minute, but was forced to postpone it because of exorbitantly high fares. This is what he was offered: SpiceJet ( SG103) at Rs 15,708, GoAir ( G8) at Rs24,272.

What is more shocking is Azim Siddiqui's case. SpiceJet denied him entry on Sunday because he arrived 40 minutes before the scheduled takeoff time of 9.25 pm.

But GoAir was willing to accommodate passengers, subject to availability, exactly 40 minutes before the flight (10.40 pm Delhi- Mumbai) at a price of Rs 20,000. Siddiqui said: "I had a Mumbai- Delhi refundable return ticket but was told it was of no value. They refused to refund and suggested me to buy another ticket for tomorrow, which was available at a price of Rs 11,000, that too one way." Siddiqui then decided to buy a GoAir ticket, available at Rs 9,000.

A few minutes after Siddiqui bought his GoAir ticket, the clerk at the counter told this correspondent there would be last- minute cancellations and tickets would be available 40 minutes before takeoff. But the spot fare would be above ` 20,000 for the Delhi- Mumbai at 10.40 pm.

This proves that the Union aviation ministry's threats had little effect on the airlines. An aviation analyst said Delhi- London return economy tickets, if booked in advance, is available at Rs39,000.It is shocking that domestic airlines are offering one- way ticket at Rs 25,000 for a Delhi- Mumbai flight.

To address these problems, the directorate general of civil aviation ( DGCA) will meet representatives of full service airlines on Monday.

KAST- MINUTE FARES OFFERED ON SUNDAY

Jet Airways charged Rs 19,000 for a full fare economy Delhi- Mumbai ticket on its 7.45 pm flight two hours prior to departure. The airline, which normally asks passengers to report two hours in advance, even offered 'flexi check in timing', ie less than 60 minutes before the flight . Jet charged Rs 18,417 for full fare economy ticket on the Delhi- Mumbai 8.35 pm flight in the afternoon.

GoAir offered tickets at Rs 20,000 exactly 40 minutes before the flight. Air India economy class tickets for the 9 pm flight for the same destination, were available for Rs 14,200 about three hours before departure. The same ticket was charged only Rs 9,800 in the afternoon. Kingfisher refused to share details of last minute Delhi- Mumbai flight fares. All tickets for Delhi- Mumbai evening flights for the low cost carriers such as Indigo, GoAir, JetLite, SpiceJet were sold out.

Wikileaks: Kerala, TN are training hubs for Lashkar

Islamic terror groups could have big bases in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Wikileaks cables now reveal.

A 2009 cable, signed by secretary of state Hillary Clinton, says the Laskhar-e-Taiba had surveyed Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, and was in the process of setting up training camps. It also says itplanned to kill Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi. In another revelation, Hillary says Saudi donors are supporting Sunni terror groups across the world.

Gunman Kasab, arrested in connection with the 2008 Mumbai blasts, had confessed on video that the Lashkar recruited him to carry out a suicide attack by paying off his father. Kasab later told the court he had made that confession under duress.

The police were not completely oblivious to the problem, though. In 2007, police were talking about 50 Lashkar militants being active in the south, especially Karnataka.

In 2008, nine low-intensity blasts rocked Bangalore. A woman was killed. In 2010, two bombs went off at Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, just before an IPL match, injuring six. The Karnataka police arrested Abdul Naseer Madani, a radical Islamist from Kerala, on charges of plotting the blasts. Andhra Pradesh was not spared either. In 2007, two blasts went off at Hyderabad. Two years on, the Andhra Pradesh police arrested 13 men, and sent out an alert to neighbouring states.

The Intelligence Bureau had said it had picked up some intercepts suggesting that cities in the south could be targeted. In September 2009, Rediff reported:

"It is now confirmed that many southern modules carried out the serial blasts in the country. Following the blasts there was a major crackdown on the cadres and sleeper cells. Even the interrogation of various terrorists revealed that the southern module carried out the blasts.

The most important factor that came out during the interrogation was that the entire southern module was directly linked to the Gulf module. However, the recent crackdown has had a disastrous effect on the Lashkar's plans. Sources say that the south modules were being majorly financed by the Gulf module."

2010: India’s Year of Scandals

Where scandals are concerned, Raja, Kalmadi, Chavan, Radia and Yeddyurappa are clear winners this year, but Raja also wins the lifetime award for pulling off the biggest scandal ever in India.

This was clearly the year of scandals. It was also the year of leaks (and not just WikiLeaks). How did scandal after scandal spill out this year? Perhaps something happened somewhere that emboldened whistle-blowers. The Bofors scam in the '80s and fodder scam in the 1990s were considered big when they broke, but they look minuscule and inconsequential when compared to this year's scandals. Here's a quick rewind:

A Raja: Without question, Raja is the shahenshah of scandals in India. India has seen big scandals, but the scale of Raja's 2G spectrum scandal is so mind-boggling that it took a couple of years for even the whistle-blowers to make sense of it. An intrepid reporter called Gopikrishnan first began digging up how spectrum licences had been undersold. Soon, television channels got hold of the government auditor's report, which said the scandal had cost the nation Rs 1.76 lakh crore. It took some weeks before the opposition could get Raja sacked. So where did the booty go? Raja is a DMK leader from Tamil Nadu, and the talk is that he took a lot of the cash to his leaders back home. Kapil Sibal, the new telecom minister, is talking about cancelling ill-gotten licences. But the original buyers have resold the licences and booked profits, so his action could only penalise those who bought stolen stuff, and not the ones who actually did the stealing. In any case, as Shah Rukh would say, picture abhi baaki hai.

Suresh Kalmadi: As sports administrator, Kalmadi has been the blue-eyed boy of the Congress for three decades. Roped into politics by Sanjay Gandhi, Kalmadi (54) has enjoyed support from the top, which is why he must have believed he could get away with anything. That wasn't to be. This year, when the Commonwealth Games came to India, he was shamed, first for not getting the stadiums and the games village ready in time, and then for allegedly pocketing millions. He was booed when he rose to make a speech at the Games inauguration. He continues to claim innocence, but his deputies Lalit Bhanot and T S Darbari have reportedly squealed on him. Media investigations have already revealed he bought everything from soap dispensers to airconditioners to sports equipment at astronomically jacked-up prices. His official website says he has a glorious vision for Pune for 2020, but his city is unlikely to stand by him as it has done in the past.

Niira Radia: No one had heard of Niira till November this year. Suddenly, thanks to the leaking of phone transcripts in which she was talking to India's who's who, everyone was talking about her. That, in a less scandalous context, would have been an astounding PR accomplishment. Anyway, Niira is a PR diva who could call up anyone -- Ratan Tata, Mukesh Ambani, Barkha Dutt, Vir Sanghvi -- and discuss anything. India is gaping as it is told that a PR consultant was mediating between the Congress and the DMK, and influencing the choice of telecom minister in the world's fastest growing telecom market. Her conversations are now being examined by the income tax authorities, and two magazines, Open and Outlook, have published call transcripts, embarrassing not just industrialists and politicians but journalists as well. Politician Amar Singh and industrialist Ratan Tata have both said private call transcripts should not be aired in the media. Niira may have helped Raja get the job that allegedly helped him pull off the biggest swindle of all time. She has also brought glamour, spice, and intrigue to this year of scandals.

Ashok Chavan: Countries get emotional over wars. As Maharashtra's Chief Minister, Chavan didn't realise how volatile things could get if he were caught cheating martyrs' families. Chavan helped his relatives buy flats at Adarsha Housing Society in Mumbai. It appears he and his predecessors allowed the high-rise to come up on defence land because they were getting something in return. The building is in trouble now, and Sonia Gandhi had no choice but to ask Chavan to leave. What damage he has caused to the party will be known when elections are held, but the Congress just couldn't afford to have a chief minister who would be seen as a crook without a heart.

Yeddyurappa: Considered the dumbest of this year's scamsters, Yeddyurappa was caught changing the status of government land to help his sons. Real estate is more precious than gold in Bangalore, and his actions couldn't have escaped the watchful eyes of the Deve Gowda family, also majorly into the land business. Earlier chief ministers like S M Krishna and Dharam Singh have also given away government land cheap to their near and dear ones, but they knew how to cover their tracks. H D Kumaraswamy, Deve Gowda's son and former chief minister, has been at Yeddyurappa's throat, pulling out documents to show how extensively Yeddyurappa and his men have grabbed land. By Kumaraswamy's estimate, the scandal amounts to Rs 5,000 crore. The BJP's central leadership was demanding action against the UPA and stalling parliament to demand a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the spectrum scandal, and was clearly embarrassed by Yeddyurappa's brazen ways. Many factions are active in the Karnataka BJP. The Reddy brothers, children of a police constable, have earned enough money from mining (many say illegal) to be able to compete with the Mittals of the world. They have their own agenda, and have been inconsistent in their likes and dislikes. Yeddyurappa turned all of this to his advantage, and defied his party's leaders, who wanted him to go. He wasn't so dumb, after all. He also allegedly paid off whoever was against him in Delhi, but significantly, his party's supreme leader L K Advani refused to see him. He has returned to Bangalore victorious, but his enemies aren't going to keep quiet for long.

Read all about India’s Hall of Shame of 2010 - corruption, scandals, broken promises and injustice to the already wronged.

2010 YEAR IN REVIEW:---- CLASH OF THE TITANS

CLASH OF THE TITANS
1. SM QURESHI – SM KRISHNA
2. SHOBHAA DE – SONAM KAPOOR
3. AMITABH BACHCHAN – MANI RATNAM
4. M S DHONI – VIRU SEHWAG
5. LALIT MODI – SHASHI THAROOR
6. MANI AIYAR – SURESH KALMADI
7. JAIRAM RAMESH – P CHIDAMBARAM
8. RAHUL GANDHI – MAYAWATI
9. NITIN GADKARI – LALU YADAV
10. MANMOHAN SINGH – LK ADVANI

There's never a dull moment in our lives, especially when A-list personalities and celebs get into a war of words. Now with most wars taking place in the public domain and new media like Twitter, we can catch the verbal duel from the comfort of our desks, live, as it were.
From epic clashes between titans to starlets letting loose in 140 characters, these people gave us enough food for thought - and laughs - in 2010. Some were well-worded, some will go down in history for the words used, some rode on the coattails of someone else's words, but the mud-slinging, in one word, was epic. Here are some of the most prominent wars of words that coloured the landscape of this year a violent red.
1. SM QURESHI – SM KRISHNA

2. SHOBHAA DE – SONAM KAPOOR

3. AMITABH BACHCHAN – MANI RATNAM

4. M S DHONI – VIRU SEHWAG

5. LALIT MODI – SHASHI THAROOR

6. MANI AIYAR – SURESH KALMADI

7. JAIRAM RAMESH – P CHIDAMBARAM

8. RAHUL GANDHI – MAYAWATI

9. NITIN GADKARI – LALU YADAV

10. MANMOHAN SINGH – LK ADVANI
- India's External Affairs Minister SM Krishna visited Pakistan in July for talks with his counterpart, Shah Mehmood Qureshi. Three closed door meetings took place in Islamabad - an effort to revive the peace process that was derailed after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. After the meetings, Qureshi held a press conference where he claimed that the Indian delegation was not prepared for the meetings and that Krishna did not have the mandate for meaningful talks. He also said that the Indians were receiving instructions on the phone from New Delhi throughout the parleys. Krishna responded by saying that there was no ambiguity, the mandate given to him was precise and that they were fully prepared for the talks. He denied receiving foreign policy directions from New Delhi during the course of the meetings.
  In late September, both Krishna and Qureshi attended the UN General Assembly and were expected to meet on the sidelines. The meeting however, never took place and a war of words broke out between both sides over Qureshi raising the Kashmir issue in his speech at the UNGA. "The J&K dispute is about the exercise of the right to self-determination by the Kashmiri people through a free, fair and impartial plebiscite under the UN auspices. Pakistan views the prevailing situation in the Indian Occupied Kashmir with grave concern," he had said. Krishna responded by expressing his disappointment over the references made. He said soon after - "Pakistan is a country that has enormous internal challenges confronting it, such unsolicited remarks cannot divert attention from the internal problems they are having."
  Qureshi was earlier scheduled to visit India towards the end of 2010, but the trip has been postponed due to a packed calendar.
  2. SHOBHAA DE – SONAM KAPOOR
  
  3. AMITABH BACHCHAN – MANI RATNAM
  
  4. M S DHONI – VIRU SEHWAG
  
  5. LALIT MODI – SHASHI THAROOR
  
  6. MANI AIYAR – SURESH KALMADI
  
  7. JAIRAM RAMESH – P CHIDAMBARAM
  
  8. RAHUL GANDHI – MAYAWATI
  
  9. NITIN GADKARI – LALU YADAV
  
  10. MANMOHAN SINGH – LK ADVANI
  
  Sonam Kapoor and Shobhaa De didn't exactly get off to the best start. A couple of years ago De wrote in a blog post that the actress "just didn't cut it in the sex appeal stakes". Sonam retaliated by calling her a "60-something porn writer" in an interview to a newspaper.
  Cut to 2010 - Shobhaa De wrote a scathing review of Punit Malhotra's 'I Hate Luv Storys' starring Sonam and Imran Khan, labelling it as an utterly dull, total dud of a movie. She also claimed that it made one want to "shake up this bloke called Punit Malhotra and spank him in public". Punit who was rumoured to be dating his leading lady took refuge in every celeb's online weapon - Twitter, and tweeted "Guys please don't take Shobhaa De seriously. She's a fossil who's getting no action and going through menopause". Sonam retweeted Punit's line and added a "hahahaha" to boot.
  Shobhaa De reacted by writing in her blog - "Unfortunately, the current generation of Bollywood brats in their monumental arrogance and limited intelligence forget that not all journalists are purchasable commodities. And if their film is a turkey, that's what it is going to be labelled."
  Sonam was then apparently reprimanded by daddy dearest Anil Kapoor, following which she deleted the controversial tweet and issued an apology that said "Mrs De, I owe you an apology for getting personal. I'm ashamed for my momentary lapse in judgement. And apologetic. Every writer, journalist and audience is entitled to their opinion and I respect that."
  3. AMITABH BACHCHAN – MANI RATNAM
  
  4. M S DHONI – VIRU SEHWAG
  
  5. LALIT MODI – SHASHI THAROOR
  
  6. MANI AIYAR – SURESH KALMADI
  
  7. JAIRAM RAMESH – P CHIDAMBARAM
  
  8. RAHUL GANDHI – MAYAWATI
  
  9. NITIN GADKARI – LALU YADAV
  
  10. MANMOHAN SINGH – LK ADVANI
  
  Yet another celeb skirmish aided through the able hands of Twitter. It all started with the release of Mani Ratnam's 'Raavan'. The film which had two versions - Hindi and Tamil starred Aishwarya and Abhishek and the Bachchan family was heavily banking on its success. Critics and fans panned the Hindi version when it opened up and particularly found fault with Jr Bachchan's portrayal of Raavan.
  In a bid to salvage his son's reputation, Sr Bachchan as his Twitter handle calls him blamed the director and editor of the film for Abhishek's disjointed acting and the film's poor show at the box office. He tweeted - "Lot of merited film edited out, causing inconsistent performance and narrative. Abhishek's erratic behaviour was due to symbolic ten heads visually appearing and each giving him different attitudes to adopt for a situation, he would then finally shake them off and decide. In the edit all the visual heads got cut and you see a confused Beera expression and wonder why."
  Mani Ratnam chose a dignified yet stinging response. When questioned by journalists over the issue he said, "Everyone, including Amitabh Bachchan has the right to voice their opinion. What he has conveyed on the internet, could have been told to me in person. He knows my cell phone number."
  Big B was left to indulge in some quick damage control. He accused the media (everyone's favourite fall guy) of playing with words and misinterpreting his statement as an affront to Ratnam. Bachchan also then tweeted that "There has and shall always be respect and dignity for Mani Ratnam. He is one of our finest directors and he should never stop making films."
  4. M S DHONI – VIRU SEHWAG
  
  5. LALIT MODI – SHASHI THAROOR
  
  6. MANI AIYAR – SURESH KALMADI
  
  7. JAIRAM RAMESH – P CHIDAMBARAM
  
  8. RAHUL GANDHI – MAYAWATI
  
  9. NITIN GADKARI – LALU YADAV
  
  10. MANMOHAN SINGH – LK ADVANI
  
  The Indian cricket team began their year with a series in Bangladesh. Indian skipper MS Dhoni had to miss the first test in Chittagong due to a back spasm. Harbhajan Singh had to sit out too with a stiff neck and Amit Mishra took his place. The team was led by Dhoni's deputy Virender Sehwag.
  Mishra grabbed the opportunity with both hands. He took seven wickets in the match and even scored his maiden Test fifty. Both MS Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh recovered in time for the second Test in Mirpur and resumed their roles in the team. With Dhoni back at the helm of affairs, Pragyan Ojha was preferred over Mishra for the second spinner's position in spite of the latter's performance in the first Test. This is when reports surfaced in the media about alleged arguments between Viru and Dhoni over Mishra's exclusion. Some reports even suggested that the Indian team was divided into two camps - Sehwag's camp including his Delhi teammates like Gautam Gambhir, Ishant Sharma and Amit Mishra while Dhoni's camp comprised of players like Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh and Pragyan Ojha. Adding fuel to the fire was Ishant Sharma's statement in a press briefing where he thanked Sehwag for his inclusion in the first Test. This was after he was dropped in the previous series against Sri Lanka.
  This wasn't the first time that a tiff had reportedly broken out between the two. There was an alleged rift between them during India's 2009 T20 World Cup campaign surrounding Sehwag's injury which came to light only after the team had reached England.
  5. LALIT MODI – SHASHI THAROOR
  
  6. MANI AIYAR – SURESH KALMADI
  
  7. JAIRAM RAMESH – P CHIDAMBARAM
  
  8. RAHUL GANDHI – MAYAWATI
  
  9. NITIN GADKARI – LALU YADAV
  
  10. MANMOHAN SINGH – LK ADVANI
  
  The biggest clash of the year has to be the one between Lalit Modi and Shashi Tharoor. All seemed to be hunky dory. IPL 3 was turning in to a huge success - raking in the money and spectators as well. IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi was basking in its glory. The league held auctions for two new teams that were to debut in IPL 4. Sahara bagged Pune and a consortium led by Rendezvous Group won a bid for Kochi. After the media reported that the IPL had raised questions over Kochi's shareholding pattern, IPL commissioner Lalit Modi then tweeted details of the stakeholders in the new Kochi IPL team that was sold for Rs 1530 crore.
  Modi claimed that Sunanda Pushkar, who was then a close associate of the then Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor, owned 18 per cent free equity of the franchise. Shashi Tharoor denied any personal stake in the Kochi team and insisted his role was only of a mentor. The tweet controversy snowballed and ultimately Tharoor was asked to put in his papers.
  Lalit Modi was subsequently suspended from his role as IPL commissioner and accusations came in thick and fast since then. He was also under fire for helping his family and friends buy stakes in some of the IPL teams. Two of the teams - Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab's contracts with the IPL were terminated. The Kochi IPL team consortium has been given additional time to sort out issues between shareholders and partners. Modi was later expelled from both the BCCI and the IPL. Tharoor meanwhile married Sunanda Pushkar and remains MP of Thiruvananthapuram.
  6. MANI AIYAR – SURESH KALMADI
  
  7. JAIRAM RAMESH – P CHIDAMBARAM
  
  8. RAHUL GANDHI – MAYAWATI
  
  9. NITIN GADKARI – LALU YADAV
  
  10. MANMOHAN SINGH – LK ADVANI
  
  The first sign of the CWG storm came in the form of Mani Shankar Aiyar. In July, the former Sports Minister of India said he wanted the Games to fail. He believed the money could have been put to better use. Aiyar said, "I am delighted in a way because rains are causing difficulties for the Commonwealth Games. Basically, I will be very unhappy, if the Games are successful because then they will start bringing Asian Games, Olympic Games and all these".
  Inevitably, this statement of his caused a furore in the country. Questions were being raised about his integrity as an Indian, and a former Sports Minister at that.
  But it wasn't difficult to understand that his ire was targeted at the CWG Organising Committee head, Suresh Kalmadi. In retaliation, Kalmadi said, "Mr Mani Shankar Aiyar, nobody can spoil the Commonwealth Games. Things are on track, stadiums have been built. If Mr Mani Shankar had continued to be the Sports Minister, probably we would not have seen these stadiums".
  Aiyar hinted at the removal of Kalmadi by saying no one is indispensable when the nation's reputation is at stake. As expected, Kalmadi said Aiyar's comments were "irresponsible and anti-national".
  
  7. JAIRAM RAMESH – P CHIDAMBARAM
  
  8. RAHUL GANDHI – MAYAWATI
  
  9. NITIN GADKARI – LALU YADAV
  
  10. MANMOHAN SINGH – LK ADVANI
  
  In May, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh visited China and his comments regarding India's policies towards China drew criticism. In Beijing, Ramesh told journalists that the Indian home ministry's policies were "paranoid and alarmist" regarding the "Chinese businessmen entering the industrial sector in India".
  Needless to say, upon his return to India, Mr Ramesh had a lot of explaining to do. Home Minister P Chidambaram promptly shot off a letter to the Prime Minister. Not only was the government shocked, even the opposition condemned this comment. Following this, the Minister met Dr Singh to explain what he meant. The PM is said to have told Ramesh that the Indian government was clear in its approach towards China.
  The home ministry came out with a statement of its own and said India's policies are company-specific and not country-specific. "It is wrong to say that the security establishment was biased against the Chinese," Home Secretary G K Pillai said. "Chinese companies are already present in India in a big way. They are working in a variety of sectors, including in the telecommunications sector. I don't think there is any discrimination happening from the government's side," he said.
  8. RAHUL GANDHI – MAYAWATI
  
  9. NITIN GADKARI – LALU YADAV
  
  10. MANMOHAN SINGH – LK ADVANI
  
  There's no love lost between Rahul Gandhi and UP Chief Minister Mayawati. The latter has always accused the Congress party of neglecting the "Dalits", while Rahul, in his rallies, has reiterated the UP government's double standards when it comes to his constituency, Amethi. This time, he said, "The centre sends crores of rupees to UP for various welfare schemes but the money does not reach the districts and villages. Sara paisa Lucknow tak ata hai, uske agey nahin", (the money comes to Lucknow but does not go beyond it), he commented.
  This April, Behenji took the enmity a step further by not allowing the "crown prince of Congress" to garland Dr Ambedkar's statue on his birthday. Rahul, on his part, continued the drama by garlanding Ambedkar's picture in the Parliament.
  Speaking of garlands, Mayawati had a grand garland for herself, too. The garland made of money is at least Rs 20cr, alleged the Congress. Never one to lose an opportunity to get back at Maya, Rahul insisted that she misused funds meant for the poor. And then there are those infamous statues that Mayawati insisted on getting erected all around town.
  Reckon this isn't the last we'll hear from them.
  9. NITIN GADKARI – LALU YADAV
  
  10. MANMOHAN SINGH – LK ADVANI
  
  "Dogs that lick the feet of the Congress" is what the Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari called Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Yadav and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav. At a rally in Chandigarh, Gadkari blasted the two leaders for going back on their word against the cut motion in parliament.
  Expectedly, the BJP was embarrassed by the way their party president conducted himself publicly. Gadkari then tried to do some damage control and apologised for his remarks and said he didn't mean to hurt anyone and that he respected Lalu and Mulayam.
  But Lalu Yadav proved he's not one to back down. He retaliated to that comment and called Gadkari "mentally bankrupt". He called a press conference in Patna and said, "We will give Gadkari tablets to cure his mental bankruptcy, then put him on capsules and if the tablets and capsules fail, we will put him on injection".
  Appearing on a news channel, Lalu said Gadkari must apologise in front of the media and only then he'd think about forgiving him. He added that even Advani never abused any leaders publicly and that in comparison, Gadkari was as good as a big zero.
  10. MANMOHAN SINGH – LK ADVANI
  
  That LK Advani thinks Dr Manmohan Singh is a weak Prime Minister is old news. But what took many by surprise was the fact that the usually composed Dr Singh lost his cool during a Lok Sabha session.
  Advani, playing the opposition leader to the hilt, criticised the Manmohan government of bowing down to US pressure on India's relations with Pakistan. He said, "I want the Prime Minister to tell the Parliament what secret or other talks have taken place between India and Pakistan. If there are any secret talks happening on Kashmir between India and US, it will have serious consequences."
  But the PM didn't back down this time. He denied the charges Advani made against him and India's foreign policies. Dr Singh shot back at Advani by asking him how many times the then external affairs minister, Jaswant Singh, who held a number of meetings with the US officials, shared any information with the Parliament.
  More recently, Advani called on the PM to discuss the Karnataka government crisis and demanded the removal of HR Bharadwaj as the governor.
  Political face-offs can't live with them - end of story.