Conveying his best wishes to the Indian cricket team for their World Cup final with Sri Lanka on Saturday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has expressed the hope that the ‘Men in Blue' will win the trophy.
“Keep it up is all I would say. I hope India wins,” he told journalists on the sidelines of the second and final Padma award investiture ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday. However, he would not go to Mumbai to watch the match; he would be in Assam and would watch the match as and when he got time.
On Wednesday, Dr. Singh went to Mohali to watch the semifinal between India and Pakistan along with his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani.
Asked about his discussions with Mr. Gilani, Dr. Singh said: “We have already said what we wanted to say.”
Asked to comment on the Shunglu Committee's report on the alleged irregularities in the conduct of the Commonwealth Games, he said it was being studied by various Ministries. “There are appropriate procedures. The report is under analysis by various Ministries. I am yet to get the analyses from the Ministries.”
The committee has recommended action against the then Chief Executive Officer of Prasar Bharati, B.S. Lalli, and the then Director-General of Doordarshan, Aruna Sharma, for giving “undue benefits” to Sis Live and Zoom Communications in the award of the broadcasting rights of the games. It has also pointed to several “irregularities” in the games-related city infrastructure projects implemented by the Delhi government, indicting Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit for them.
Ms. Dikshit has, however, rejected the report and has conveyed to the Prime Minister that the findings were “unfair” and “inconsistent.”
