[1]Asserting that cricket should remain a sport and not construed as a medium for dialogue and diplomacy, leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, on Thursday criticised the Centre and said sport and diplomacy should not be clubbed, even as she dismissed as “outburst of frustration” chief minister M. Karunanidhi’s charge that EC was biased in supporting AIADMK.
“Sport should remain a sport. Let us not convert it into controversy. I don’t think so much hype is needed. This should be separated from dialogue and diplomacy,” Ms Swaraj said while commenting on the meeting between the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan on the sidelines of World Cup semi-final at Mohali.
Speaking to reporters, she said government’s cricket diplomacy with Islamabad, especially the presence of top leaders would mount immense pressure on players of both the teams
Ms Swaraj, who released the party’s campaign CD, dismissed chief minister M. Karunanidhi’s criticism that the election commission was biased in supporting Opposition AIADMK, as his “outburst of frustration.”
The EC was behaving in an impartial manner, she added. She denied party colleague Arun Jaitley’s alleged statement to a US diplomat that the party was using Hindutva nationalism opportunistically.
The BJP would enter the new Assembly with impressive numbers. Strong anti-incumbency wave against the overnment, esentment and disappointment against the Centre in which the DMK is a partner, and the positive feeling for BJP would work in its favour. Price rise, corruption, rehabilitation of internally displaced Tamils in Sri Lanka and killing of fishermen by the Lankan Navy are the poll issues, she added.
Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu unit demanded the CM’s resignation over the alleged transportation of money meant for voters in police vehicles.
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[1] http://archive.asianage.com/sushamajpgcropdisplayjpg-026