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.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
