Gopi sir congratulated me, Saina 'no': P V Sindhu
Tokyo: P V Sindhu on Monday said she received congratulatory message from chief national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand but she has not got any such gesture yet from senior shuttler Saina Nehwal following her bronze medal winning feat at the Olympics.
Sindhu, the reigning world champion, on Sunday became only the second Indian and first woman from the country to claim two Olympics medals, after she won a bronze in Tokyo, five years after claiming a silver at Rio Games.
Asked if she received any communication from Gopichand and Saina after her win, Sindhu said: "Of course, Gopi sir wished me congrats. That's all. I haven't seen the social medal. I am slowly replying to everybody.
When further probed, Sindhu said: "Gopi sir messaged me, Saina no. We don't talk much, so...."
The Indian was addressing a virtual press conference a day after winning her second Olympic medal.
There were reports of rift between Sindhu and Gopichand after she flew to London for a training stint for three months amid the COVID-19 pandemic last year.
Sindhu later said she had been to UK for recovery and nutrition programme but after returning home, she decided to move out of the Gopichand Academy and train at the Gachibowli Indoor stadium under Park Tae-Sang, triggering fresh rumours of fall out between her and the chief national coach.
In the run-up to the Olympics, Sindhu had also said that her preparations were going on well and she doesn't miss Gopichand, who eventually decided not to go to Tokyo, vacating the position for men's singles coach Agus Santoso, who was training with B Sai Praneeth.
Gopichand has not spoken about his relation with Sindhu.
London Olympics bronze medallist Saina, on the other hand, had some fierce on-court duels with Sindhu, who has acknowledged the rivalry between them.
There was speculation of friction between the two after Saina had returned to train under Gopichand in 2017 following a successful stint with former India coach Vimal Kumar in Bangalore.
Saina, who failed to qualify for the Tokyo Games after a series of qualifiers were cancelled, has not been too active in social media and of late hasn't posted any congratulatory messages for the Indian Olympic team.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
BJP will form govt in Bengal with thumping majority: Nabin
Mirzapur (UP) (PTI): BJP president Nitin Nabin on Wednesday voiced confidence that his party will form the government in West Bengal with a "thumping majority".
Polling is underway for 142 constituencies in the second and final phase of the West Bengal assembly elections, covering key districts, including Kolkata, Howrah and North and South 24 Parganas.
The high-stakes contest is being seen as decisive for the ruling TMC's bid for a fourth consecutive term and the BJP's push to form its first government in the state. The first phase held on April 23 recorded a high voter turnout of over 93 per cent, reflecting intense electoral engagement.
Speaking to reporters in Mirzapur, Nabin said, "The BJP will form the government in Bengal. We are winning the elections with a massive majority."
Earlier in the day, the BJP chief visited the Vindhyavasini temple and offered prayers. The rituals were conducted by his priest Acharya Agastya Kumar Dwivedi.
On his first visit to the district after assuming office, Nabin was welcomed by party workers at several places. At the temple, he was received by city MLA Ratnakar Mishra and District Magistrate Pawan Kumar Gangwar, who felicitated him with a traditional 'angvastram'.
After offering prayers for about 10 minutes amid Vedic chants, Nabin held a meeting at a hotel with local MLAs, including Mishra, Majhwan MLA Suchismita Maurya and Madihan MLA Ramashankar Patel.
Patel said Nabin emphasised strengthening the organisation and asked public representatives to focus on serving people in their respective constituencies.
Several party leaders, including district president Lal Bahadur Saroj, district vice-president Gaurav Umar, municipal chairperson Shyam Sundar Kesari, women workers and senior officials, were present on the occasion.
Elaborate security arrangements were put in place by the district administration for the visit, with multiple officers of circle officer rank deployed, officials said.
