India PM denies 'lame duck' claim

29 June 2011 Last updated at 13:44 GMT Manmohan Singh said he was in command India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has dismissed opposition criticism that he is a "lame duck" leader.

In a rare meeting with media editors, he said "truth will prevail" and his performance would speak for itself.

Mr Singh has come under fire over corruption scandals involving cabinet ministers, as well as rising inflation.

Media reports have criticised him for "being silent" on these issues. Mr Singh told editors the media had become "accuser, prosecutor and judge".

Mr Singh told the meeting that the "lame duck" tag was "clever propaganda of the opposition to which some sections of the media had lent their ear", state-run Doordarshan News reported.

"He agreed that there was a perception [of crisis] but that the perception is wrong... he is not a lame duck prime minister," Kumar Ketkar, one of the five newspaper editors present at the meeting, told reporters.

Mr Singh also said that whenever the Congress party "makes up its mind I will be very happy to step down, but so long as I am here I have a job to do".

The media-shy Mr Singh has held very few meetings with journalists since coming to power in 2004. Reports suggest that he now plans to hold regular interactions of this kind to try to improve his standing.

Consensus

The prime minister said he was working on a consensus with civil society representatives over strong anti-corruption laws.

Campaigners who are jointly drafting a new anti-corruption ombudsman bill with the authorities have criticised the government for "not being serious" about it.

There have been differences over whether the prime minister would be investigated under the new ombudsman.

"The government would reach out to the civil society but no group can insist that their views A to Z are the last word," Mr Singh reportedly said.

He said he had "no hesitation" in bringing himself under the purview of an ombudsman.

But he added that many of his cabinet colleagues felt that giving the ombudsman such powers would create "an element of instability which can go out of hand".

Correspondents say the media interaction was an attempt by the prime minister to improve the image of his party and the government.

In another rare appearance before the media, Mr Singh admitted at a press conference in February that a series of damaging scandals had affected the standing of his Congress-led government.

The government is accused of losing billions of dollars by underselling telephone licences. Preparations for last year's Commonwealth Games were also dogged by corruption claims.

More recently the government was accused of being heavy-handed when police broke up anti-corruption protests in Delhi earlier this month. At least 30 people were injured and government critics said free speech had been denied.

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Sangakkara denies England victory

By Stephan Shemilt
BBC Sport

Third Test, The Rose Bowl (day five):

England 377-8 dec drew with Sri Lanka 184 & 334-5

Sangakkara's 25th Test century was his first in England Kumar Sangakkara's maiden Test century in England denied Andrew Strauss's side victory on the final day of the third Test at the Rose Bowl.

After Sri Lanka had resumed on 112-3, 81 behind, Sangakkara (119) shared 65 with nightwatchman Rangana Herath (35).

Herath eventually fell lbw to Graeme Swann before Thilan Samaraweera (87 not out) added 141 more with his captain.

Sri Lanka were 334-5, 141 ahead, when rain arrived at tea, leaving England to settle for a draw and a 1-0 series win.

England will rue the early chances they missed to dismiss Herath, with Strauss dropping a chance at slip off James Anderson and the Lancashire paceman missing with a shy at the stumps when the batsman was well short of his ground.

At the other end, Sangakkara took advantage of some below-par England seam bowling by punctuating some careful leaves with elegant drives through the covers and down the ground.

When pace gave way to spin, Herath was again lucky to survive as replays of an unsuccessful lbw appeal from Graeme Swann showed that the decision would have been overturned on review.

Herath eventually played a needless swipe across the line at Swann and was given out leg before.

But any hope that England had of picking up further wickets before lunch were snuffed out by Sangakkara and Samaraweera, who had moved Sri Lanka into the lead by the interval.

Continue reading the main story Alec Stewart,
Former England captain and 5 live summariser

I've been very impressed with Sri Lanka's application, but until today they haven't played anything like what we expected from them. Sangakkara showed us why he is one of the greatest players in the modern game, he's too good a player to have kept failing in England and that was a match-saving hundred

The arrival of the second new ball one over after the break presented England with their biggest chance of forcing a result, but Sangakkara's edge over the slips off Anderson was the closest the home side came to a breakthrough.

Samaraweera counter-attacked on his way to a half-century, while Sangakkara notched his 25th Test century to stretch the Sri Lankan lead past 100.

England captain Strauss juggled his bowlers in search of a wicket, but was hampered by a heel injury afflicting Stuart Broad.

Finally, with the bad weather closing in, Sangakkara was deceived by a slightly slower delivery from Anderson which he sliced to sub fielder Adam Rouse at point.

By the time the rain arrived as forecast at tea, England were already too far behind to harbour realistic hopes of forcing a positive result.

The Rose Bowl draw means England earn their fifth consecutive series victory by virtue of Sri Lanka's second-innings collapse in the first Test at Cardiff.

The home side will feel that bad weather - both at Lord's and in Hampshire - prevented them from a wider winning margin, while the tourists could argue that, but for one batting collapse, the series could have been drawn.

Sri Lanka's players were subsequently fined 20% of their match fees by the International Cricket Council for maintaining a slow over-rate, after match referee Alan Hurst ruled that they were two overs short of their target by the end of the game.

Stand-in skipper Sangakkara was fined 40% of his fee, while Sri Lanka accepted the penalty without contest.

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