Bangalore, Wednesday April 3, 2013, Pages 22

www.deccanherald.com Vol 66 No 93 4.00 B

Galatasaray test for Real

SPORT P15

North Korea vows to restart reactor P14

Cutting Edge

First solar plane set to fly

P12

Bollywood gloss to IPL VI bash Cong gets cold feet on projecting Rahul for PM
Prime ministership decision after polls
NEW DELHI: The Congress on Tuesday got cold feet over projecting its vicepresident Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate and indicated that Manmohan Singh could have a third term if the party can retain power after the 2014 general election.

In brief
High Court denies relief to Mallya
The Bombay High Court has refused to restrain banks from selling shares of United Spirits pledged as security against loans to Kingfisher, jeopardising liquor baron Vijay Mallyas plans to sell to Diageo Plc and to revive Kingfisher Airlines.
Details on Page 8

The relationship between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi is unique and we have never seen such camaraderie in the past. This is perhaps the ideal model for future, said Janardan Dwivedi, general secretary of the All India Congress Committee and chief spokesperson of the party. Though the Congress cashed in on the hitherto unblemished reputation of soft-spoken Singh during the United Progressive Alliances first tenure in power as well as in the 2009 elections, a series of scams coming up to haunt his government had tarnished his image. The party, however, chose to back him once again on Tues-

Congress hinted at a third term for Manmohan Singh while Rahul Gandhi focuses on building party bases.

day, a day before he is set to address captains of India Inc at the annual general meeting of Confederation of Indian Industries. The industry body also invited Rahul to address the corporate biggies on Thursday. Dwivedis comment came five days after Singh, who turned 80 last year, declined to rule out the possibility of a third term for himself. It was also apparently intended to contradict another AICC general secretary Digvijay Singhs recent comment that the UPAs model of dual power centres (Con- DH News Service

gress president and prime minister) did not work well over the past nine years. Digvijay had also remarked that Rahul should himself lead the government if the Congress scored a hat trick. Talking to reporters at AICC headquarters in New Delhi on Tuesday, Dwivedi, however, reiterated that Rahuls priority is to strengthen the party. We have Manmohan Singh as our prime minister today and everybody accepts him, he said. Who will be the prime minister after the 2014 elections is not an issue. The party will take a call on the leadership issue after the elections, he added. The Congress appeared to be cautious to make sure that the 2014 poll is not seen as a direct political battle between the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi family and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. The Bharatiya Janata Party has brought Modi to centre stage by inducting him into its highest policy-making body last Sunday.

Govt not to extend RTE Act deadline

STAR-STUDDED: Actor Katrina Kaif performs during the Indian Premier League opening ceremony at the Salt Lake Stadium in More photos and reports on Pages 16 and 17 Kolkata on Tuesday. PTI / BCCI
G Unnikrishnan KOLKATA: Bollywood Badshah Shah Rukh Khan had promised an opening ceremony like never before to usher in the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League. And he delivered one at the Salt Lake Stadium on Tuesday.

All performersShah Rukh himself, Deepika Padukone and Katrina Kaif gave an electrifying performance that

showcased the best of Bollywood to a packed audience that included skippers and team members of defending champions and home team Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Daredevils, seven other captains, BCCI secretary N Srinivasan, IPL Chairman Rajiv Shukla and a host of other dignitaries from all walks of life. The proceedings of a wonderful evening were ceremonially opened by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata

The Centre on Tuesday refused to extend the March 31 deadline for schools to meet the basic standards of the opening ceremonies thrilled Right to Education Act, DHNS Banerjee along with Srinithe crowd with his mastery vasan and Shukla with the reports from New Delhi. over violin, and then it was verses of national poet RaDetails on Page 9 bindranath Tagore playing in time for a few serious mothe background, and high ve- ments. Former Indian skipper Sterlite told to pay locity entertainment followed Ravi Shastri invited nine capRs 100-cr damages tains M S Dhoni, Gautam the solemn moment. Stilt walkers from Denmark Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Rahul The Supreme Court on TuesDravid, Adam Gilchrist, Kumarked the beginning of the day directed Sterlite Indusamusement segment followed mar Sangakkara, Mahela tries, a subsidiary of the UKJayawardene, Angelo Mathby drummers suspended in based Vedanta group, to pay ews and Ricky Ponting to the air, masked dancers and Rs 100 crore for causing enviChinese percussionists enter- sign the customary Spirit of ronmental pollution in Tamil Cricket declaration. taining the house. Xander Nadu between 1997 and 2012. Nichting a veteran of IPL IPL, Page 9 Details on Page 8

Ambanis reunite for Rs 1,200-cr telecom deal

MUMBAI, DHNS: About seven

Nirani eyes Jamakhandi, not BSY

HUBLI/BANGALORE: Karnata-

years after they parted ways, the Ambani brothers have decided to join hands for a business venture. The collaboration will help elder brother Mukesh Ambani roll out fourth-generation broadband services. Mukesh Ambanis Reliance Jio Infocomm on Tuesday announced that it has signed a Rs 1,200-crore agreement to share optic fibre network of Anil Ambanis Reliance Communications (RCom). According to the agreement, Reliance Jio Infocomm will use multiple fibre pairs across RComs 1,20,000 km inter-city fibre optic network against a payment of Rs 1,200 crore as indefeasible right to use (IRU) fees to RCom. This is the first time the brothers are collaborating since the Reliance split in 2005. In May 2010, they scrapped the contentious non-compete clause in the agreement which prevented them from competing against each other. Mukesh had forayed into telecom sector in 2010 after he bought 95 per cent stake in Infotel Broadband Services and was gearing up to launch 4G services. This deal is the first in an intended comprehensive framework of business co-operation between Reliance Jio Infocomm and RCom to provide for optimal utilisation of the existing and future infrastructure of both companies on reciprocal basis, including inter-alia, inter-city fibre, towers and related assets, stated a release issued jointly by the two companies on Tuesday.

A leopard lies tranquillised with a dart (circled) sticking out of its body in Mysore on Monday midnight. DH PHOTO

Leopard goes to school in Mysore, shifted to zoo

MYSORE: A curious big cats trip to school ended up in a zoo in Mysore on Monday. Thanks to an alert security guard, another leopard scare which has become a routine affair here was averted. As soon as the security guard at the Kendriya Vidyalaya in Nazarbad spotted the male leopard near a garden behind the schools main building around 9:30 pm, he called up P C Raju, the principal, who alerted the police control room. The police subsequently informed forest veterinarian Nagaraj, who led a team of officers to the spot. Initially, the team decided against tranquillising the big cat. The animal was, however, tranquilised keeping in view

the safety of the students, as the school was to open at 8 am on Tuesday. After an hour-long operation, the leopard was sedated and shifted to Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens. The veterinarian said the animal was over a year-anda-half old. B P Ravi, executive director of the zoo, said the leopard was groggy, but healthy. A chip would be inserted into the animal before releasing it into the forest. Its ear would be punched to keep track of its whereabouts and identify it later.

2011, a leopard was spotted on the Infosys campus. The same year, leopards were spotted around Chamundi Hills, Ilavala, Arabitittu and Hebbal industrial area. Leopards were also seen in the city on November 1 and 10, 2011, in Vijayanagar 3rd and 4th stages respectively. Leopards were sighted twice in the city in 2012, in March and again on August 27, when a big cat was found impaled on the iron railings of the BEML factory. The Monday night scare was the second instance of leopards being spotted in Mysore this Big cat menace year. A leopard was rescued on In the recent past, several in- January 17 from a farmhouse stances of leopards straying in Madashettypura in east into human habitats have been Mysore. Nirani, Page 9 reported here. On March 9, DH News Service

ka Industries Minister Murgesh Nirani wants to contest from the Jamakhandi Assembly constituency instead of home turf Bilagi in Bagalkot district. And for this, he is ready to ditch KJP President B S Yeddyurappa. Nirani on Tuesday is understood to have bargained hard with Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar and BJP state president Pralhad Joshi in Hubli to allow him to contest election from Jhamakhandi, the neighbouring constituency of Bilagi. Nirani is said to have repeated his threat that he would have no option but to quit the BJP and join the KJP if his demand is not met. Now, Nirani represents the Bilagi Assembly seat. The meeting remained inclusive as Shettar and Joshi are said to have told Nirani that they will get back to him in a couple of days after consulting the partys central election committee. If Nirani decides to stay with the BJP, it would be a major loss of face for Yeddyurappa, who has already seen desertion by three of his close loyalists Umesh Katti, Basavaraj Bommai and V Somanna. All the three are Lingayats. So far, the BJP has been reluctant to accept Niranis demand as Jhamakhandi is represented by sitting MLA Srikanth Kulkarni. On his part, Nirani is not confident of winning from his home turf as he is said to have antagonised a section of farmers who had raised questions on the style of functioning of his chain of sugar factories.