Vis-a-Vis

SONIA GANDHI Congress president versus PRAKASH JAVADKAR BJP spokesman

"We need to face reality and recognise that the debt crisis still exists, leading to suicides by farmers."

"Sonia Gandhi is shedding crocodile tears for farmers who are committing suicide in Congress-ruled states."

EPILOGUE: It's time they did something for the farmers instead of mouthing platitudes.

VOICES

"Why is the Samajwadi Party so worked up? I am just a woman and they have an entire army of 40 ministers."

Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra

"The Congress has ended up looking like the B-Team of Narendra Modi in Gujarat. They have succeeded in making a hero out of him."

Medha Patkar, Narmada Bachao Andolan activist

"Politicians should retire when they are in their mid-seventies. After 80, they become a nuisance."

Vakkom Purushottaman, Kerala's finance minister on why he did not contest the assembly polls

"Had you been in my place, you would have done exactly the same thing that I did."

Pravin Mahajan, on why he shot dead his brother and BJP leader Pramod Mahajan

"There's too much cricket, we may burn out. Every player has to be fit for the World Cup."

Virender Sehwag, Team India vice-captain

THE BUZZ OF THE WEEK

A post-election shake-up is near certain in the Congress. Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh is tipped to take over as chairperson of the party's media cell while a few others are to be shunted out of Akbar Road.

PICTURE SPEAK

IN ORBIT: Nair (left) and Griffin

Chandrayaan-1 is an ISRO mission designed to orbit the moon over a two-year period with the objective of upgrading and testing India's technological capabilities in space and returning scientific information on the lunar surface. Besides the American equipment, it is also expected to carry instruments from Bulgaria and the European Space Agency for a detailed study of the lunar surface. Indian instruments like an X-ray spectrometer, a high-resolution laser-ranging instrument, a terrain mapping camera with 3-D imaging capability and an impactor will analyse surface material for future human landings. The spacecraft will be launched on a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from Sriharikota by 2008 at the earliest. The PSLV will eject Chandrayaan-1 into orbit where it will stay for at least two years during which it will return data to base. "This is a small step in the global space sector, but a giant leap for Indian space scientists," says Nair.

While NASA spends billions of dollars on space research, the total cost of the Chandrayaan-1 project will be less than $100 million. A bargain deal indeed.

-By Stephen David

DIED: Renowned music composer of the 1950s and '60s, Naushad Ali, 86, who composed the music for films like Mughal-e-Azam and Mother India.

REJECTED: By the Patna High Court, the anticipatory bail plea of RJD MP Sadhu Yadav, in connection with Bihar's multi-crore flood relief scam. Yadav is Railways Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav's brother-in-law.

DIED: Renowned numerologist Bansilal Jumani, 65, credited with changing the fortunes of numerous Bollywood stars.

AWARDED: To flautist Ronu Majumdar, the Kumar Gandharva Award by the Madhya Pradesh government, for his contribution to Indian classical music.

PICTURE SPEAK

NETTED: Shankaran's passport has been revoked

Shankaran, a decorated deep sea diver who left the navy a decade ago, is related to Navy Chief Admiral Arun Prakash. Shankaran, the London-based NRI businessman who had told india today last month, "If my presence is required in any formal investigation, I would definitely visit India to depose," seems to have had a change of mind, forcing the agency to take such a drastic step.

In April, the CBI had registered a case under the Official Secrets' Act and conducted nationwide raids on Shankaran's residence and offices, arresting five persons, including three former naval officials. One of them was Lieutenant Kulbhushan Parashar, Shankaran's former partner, who was arrested at the airport on his return from London.

Shankaran is so far the only one to have escaped the dragnet. While he protested his innocence and said he was being framed for being related to the naval chief, a board of enquiry set up by the navy after the leak was detected last year names him and Parashar as the recipients of the commercial information, including tender documents.

The navy chief's resignation, interestingly, was rejected by Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee. The navy sacked three of its officers involved in the leak last October but did not act against Shankaran and Parashar because they did not have jurisdiction over civilians. Hence, the Ministry of Defence handed over the case to the cbi in February.

-By Sandeep Unnithan

PICTURE SPEAK

In Aaj Tak they trust

-By Sandeep Unnithan

Thiruvanathapuram With the FIFA World Cup less than a month away, you would think youngsters in football-mad Kerala would be donning T-shirts with images of Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Rooney. Wrong. At the moment, the hero, for the young and old alike, is V.S. Achuthanandan, the 83-year-old CPI(M) front-runner for the chief minister's post. That the T-shirts are selling like hot cakes is further proof that VS will be third time lucky.

-By M.G. Radhakrishnan

Index