Liverpool chief takes swipe at comedian Whelan - Football
Published: 05 Jun 2012 - 13:17:09
Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre has hit back at Dave Whelan after the Wigan chairman criticised the Reds' handling of their search for a new manager.
Ayre is angry that Whelan went public with details of Liverpool's interest in Wigan boss Roberto Martinez before the Anfield club eventually hired Brendan Rodgers from Swansea.
Whelan claimed Liverpool had offered Martinez the job as long as he was willing to accept a director of football working above him.
But Ayre insisted Rdogers was always their first choice and responded by taking a swipe at Whelan's constant appearances in the English media.
"Our aim from the outset was to conduct a proper, thorough, search, and do it in the proper manner," Ayre told the Liverpool Echo.
"From our point of view, we did all the right things. We approached the clubs we needed to approach, and conducted ourselves properly at all times.
"It is disappointing, then, that Dave Whelan felt the need to run the kind of sideshow he conducted via Sky Sports News and various other media outlets.
"To be honest, I always thought (stand-up comic) John Bishop was the biggest comedian in the north west, but Dave Whelan seems to have taken that mantle over the last couple of weeks!"
Liverpool's American owners, Fenway Sports Group, were linked with a host of managers after they sacked Kenny Dalglish last month and some critics suggested they should have spoken to just one target rather than trying to conduct interviews with several candidates.
That process was initially said to have convinced Rodgers to snub Liverpool's interest before he later changed his mind, but Ayre believes it was right to conduct the most comprehensive search possible.
"It is important to understand that we ran a proper search to find a new manager, and that part of that involved us speaking to a number of candidates," he said.
"We make no secret of the fact we spoke with Roberto Martinez, but that is all we did. He is a great guy, and I can't speak highly enough of his professionalism and conduct.
"But for his chairman to make suggestions like he has, and suggestions that just aren't true, well it is disappointing to say the least.
"We can say with absolute certainty that the only person who was made any offer by Liverpool Football Club is Brendan Rodgers."
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BJP, RSS put up strong defence, deny rift within party - rediff.com
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has reiterated that there were no differences within the Bharatiya Janata Party [ Images ] and that its leaders were capable of sorting out differences.
Speaking to rediff.com, RSS spokesman Ram Madhav said that there was no reason for the organisation to interfere in the BJP's affairs.
"If you want to know what the Organiser (party magazine) wrote in favour of Narendra Modi [ Images ] and Kamal Sandesh wrote against him, direct your questions to those who wrote," Madhav said.
"There is no squabbling among party leaders," the party spokesperson Prakash Javdekar told media persons in reference to the attack made on several saffron leaders in the party magazines, Kamal Sandesh, Panchjanya and Organiser.
"They are like any series of newspapers in the country... Every magazine editor got his idea and concept to write freely as newspapers are doing. It is the media which is making their own interpretation from party's magazine(s) ....Ghar ke andar koi ladayee nahin hai (No internal strife in BJP)," Javdekar said.
He was reacting to the editorial in Kamal Sandesh, which appealed the party leaders to rise above the petty issues of 'self' and 'other' besides that of 'self existence' and come together for the existence of the party.
On the posters of party leader Sanjay Joshi coming up in Ahmedabad [ Images ], Javdekar said, "I do not see such posters...where are they?"
Though the posters did not name Modi directly, it is apparent that the snub is aimed at the chief minister who had his way in elbowing out Joshi from the BJP national executive held in Mumbai [ Images ] last month.
On BJP president Nitin Gadkari [ Images ] touching the feet of Yoga guru Baba Ramdev [ Images ], Javadekar said, "Gadkari has touched the feet of a sant (Baba Ramdev) not of any rakshasa (demon)... We are not followers of Baba Ramdev or Anna Hazare. Corruption and black money were the issues that BJP had raised years ago".
Hindu Right-Wingers Speak Out on Modi - Wall Street Journal
By Vibhuti Agarwal
Divisions among supporters of India’s main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party over Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi seem to be getting deeper.
Differences came out in the open in sharply contrasting editorials that ran in a pro-BJP magazine and in several publications affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, an extreme right-wing Hindu group that traditionally endorses the BJP.
An article published in the latest issue of the “Organizer”, an English-language magazine run by the RSS, described Mr. Modi as “by far the most popular leader in the country” and the “most preferred prime ministerial choice of the people”.
Describing Mr. Modi as the “BJP’s mascot” for the national elections to be held in 2014, G.V.L Narasimha Rao, the article’s author, said he has the potential to catapult the party to power.
“Modi as the leader of the BJP would deliver huge gains to it in the battleground state of Uttar Pradesh,” argues Mr. Rao. “He would help the BJP cross a threshold level of vote share to start winning seats in states like Orissa and Haryana and improve vote share substantially in states like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal to make it an attractive pre-poll alliance partner.”
The BJP has deep-running ties with the RSS: many of the party’s leaders –including Nitin Gadkari, L.K. Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee – have their roots in the group. The RSS, which relies on an extensive grassroots network, wields considerable influence on the BJP’s policy agenda.
Mr. Rao’s views contrast with those published in the RSS’ Hindi weekly “Panchjanya”.
“Opponents of BJP get an opportunity to attack the party if such a popular leader [Modi] acquires an image of being intolerant who cannot take his colleagues along,” writes Devendra Swaroop in an editorial.
This appeared to be a reference to an episode that took place last week, when Mr. Modi refused to attend a meeting of senior BJP politicians in Mumbai over policy differences with fellow party member Sunil Joshi.
It was only after Mr. Joshi resigned as a member of the BJP’s executive body that Mr. Modi agreed to participate in the session, according to media reports.
“It is being felt that Modi needs to do a rethink about his style of functioning and organizational capabilities,” Mr. Swaroop wrote in the Panchjanya editorial.
The BJP magazine, “Kamal Sandesh” echoes similar views. Without explicitly naming Mr. Modi, author Prabhat Jha argues that the “BJP does not function on the basis of any individual’s contribution alone.”
“It is always seen that on reaching the top, even after knowing that a day will come when he has to come down, he tries to belittle the ones below him,” Mr. Jha writes.
BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar played down the articles saying “don’t make a story out of nothing.” He refused to comment on whether Mr. Modi will be the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate for the next general elections.
A major obstacle for Mr. Modi’s potential candidacy is that he does not enjoy the support of several key BJP politicians, including Mr. Advani and Sushma Swaraj.
The Gujarat riots are another major issue. While Mr. Modi has been hailed for his development efforts in Gujarat, his legacy has been tainted by the communal riots of 2002 in which over 1000 people died. Mr. Modi has been criticized for not doing enough to stop the violence, allegations he denies.
Political analyst Chintamani Mahapatra, professor at the New Delhi-based Jawaharlal Nehru University says “Modi might be the BJP’s popular face but the party will take a decision on him only after consultation with potential coalition partners.”
The RSS will likely play a big role in determining whether Mr. Modi could become the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate. “Without the RSS’ backing, no candidate can do well,” says Mr. Mahapatra.
Do you think the BJP should choose Narendra Modi as its leader? Please share your views in the Comments section.
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