Sharath-Manika lose in mixed doubles TT semis, take bronze
Jakarta, Aug 29: The Indian mixed doubles table tennis pair of Achanta Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra bagged the first-ever bronze medal after going down in the semi-finals of the 18th Asian Games here on Wednesday.
Sharath-Manika were outplayed 4-1 (9-11, 5-11, 13-11, 4-11, 8-11) in 39 minutes by China's Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha in the last-four clash.
Sharath and Manika, who defeated the North Korean pair of An Ji Song and Cha Hyo Sim 3-2 (4-11, 12-10, 6-11, 11-6, 11-8) in 38 minutes in the quarter-finals, got India's first doubles medal at the Asiad in the sport.
It was also India's second TT medal in Asiad history. The first medal came in this edition with the men's team winning a bronze medal.
Earlier in the day, Sharath-Manika hammered Malaysia's Javen Choong and Karen Dick 3-0 (11-2, 11-5, 11-8) in the Round-of-32 before going past the South Korean pair of Lee Sangsu and Jeon Jihee with a 3-2 (11-7, 7-11, 11-8, 10-12, 11-4) victory in 38 minutes.
Another Indian pair, Anthony Amalraj and Madhurika Patkar, lost 1-3 (11-6, 7-11, 5-11, 4-11) to Hong Kong's Ho Kwan Kit and Lee Ho Ching in the pre-quarterfinals.
In the Round-of-32, Amalraj-Madhurika defeated Donny Aji and Lilis Indriani of Indonesia 3-1 (11-4, 11-13, 11-8, 11-9).
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Women BJP MLAs protest against opposition in UP assembly premises
Lucknow (PTI): Women BJP MLAs held a protest in the Vidhan Bhawan complex before the one-day special session of Uttar Pradesh assembly, slamming the opposition for defeating the passage of a bill, which would have led to implementation of the Women's Reservation Law, in the Lok Sabha.
This followed another demonstration by Samajwadi Party MLAs, who alleged that the BJP was misleading public in the name of women's reservation.
The women BJP legislators assembled in front of Chaudhary Charan Singh's statue in the assembly premises, holding banners inscribed with the slogan "Insult to Matrushakti (women's power), India will not tolerate it". The protesting members entered the main hall of Vidhan Bhawan carrying the banners.
Participating in the protest, the state Minister for Women Welfare and Child Development, Baby Rani Maurya, told reporters that all opposition parties, including the Samajwadi Party and the Congress, had opposed the women's reservation, a stance for which they would have to pay a heavy political price.
"On this issue, all of us women stand united. We will ensure that we secure our reservation," she said.
BJP MLA Ketki Singh remarked that their protest represents the collective outrage of millions of women across the state.
Singh asserted that the opposition has betrayed women by creating hurdles in the path of women's reservation. The current demonstration is merely the beginning, and very soon, women from every street, intersection and household will join the protest movement, she said.
Minister Vijaylakshmi Gautam said, "We strongly condemn the despicable act committed by the Samajwadi Party and the Congress in an attempt to hold back 'half the population' (women). Their action was directed against the very bill that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had introduced to empower and strengthen Nari Shakti (women's power), and which he strived to pass expeditiously."
Uttar Pradesh assembly is holding a one-day special session on Thursday. During the session, the government is set to move a censure motion against the opposition parties over their failure to pass the Constitution Amendment Bill, which would have led to implementation of the Women's Reservation Act, in the Lok Sabha.
