Kharge again, for fifth time, declines to attend Lokpal selection panel meet
New Delhi, Sep 4 : Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge again -- for the fifth time this year -- declined to attend the Tuesday meeting of a committee to select the Lokpal, saying he wouldn't do so until he gets the status of a full-fledged member instead of a 'Special Invitee'.
In a letter, his fifth, to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 2, Khage said: "The government continues to invite me as a special invitee to the Selection Committee despite being aware of the fact that there is no provision under section 4 of the Lokpal Act, 2013."
Kharge wrote to the Prime Minister on February 28, April 10, July 18 and August 18 this year.
"Accepting this invitation to attend as a 'Special Invitee' without rights of participation, recording of opinion and voting in the procedure would be violative of both the letter and spirit of the Lokpal Act," the leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha said in his September 2 letter.
"I am therefore, forced, once again to respectfully decline the invitation to attend the meeting of the Selection Committee untill the Leader of Single Largest Opposition party is conferred the status of a full-fledged member as envisioned in the Lokpal Act, 2013," he said.
Kharge said he was aware that the government was using the opportunity to spread a canard that the opposition was not cooperating in implementing the Lokpal Act despite the fact that the government itself maintained that he was not a member of the selection committee.
"The very fact that the government was forced to act by the Supreme Court indicates the lack of seriousness and sincerity of the government in implementing the Lokpal Act," he added.
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Abhigyan Kundu hits 209 not out for first-ever double ton in Youth ODIs for India
Dubai (PTI): Wicketkeeper-batter Abhigyan Kundu on Tuesday created history with first-ever double ton in Youth ODIs for India, scoring an unbeaten against Malaysia in the U-19 Asia Cup match here.
The 17-year-old Kundu thus recorded only the second instance of a double century in Youth ODIs after South Africa's Jorich Van Schalkwyk, who had scored 215 off 153 balls against Zimbabwe earlier this year in Harare.
Batting at No 5, the left-handed Kundu hit an overall 19 fours and seven sixes to smash 209 not out off only 125 balls.
His knock powered India U-19 to a huge 408 for seven batting first.
Earlier in the same tournament, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had scored a 95-ball 171 against the UAE, which is overall the ninth highest individual score in the format.
