Advani bats for IPL

NEW DELHI: The Indian Premier League (IPL) may have raised the hackles of many a cricket purist, but the crowd-pulling tournament on Tuesday got a thumbs-up from senior BJP leader L K Advani for promoting young talent from across the country.
    
"Being an avid cricket fan since my childhood, I have been more exposed to spending five days watching a particular match, but now everything gets over within three hours," Advani quipped at a function here.
    
He had a word of praise for youngsters Yusuf Pathan and Swapnil Ashnodkar who he said were finds of the IPL.
    
Equating Karnataka politics to Twenty-20 cricket, he said in Karnataka, the BJP allowed the JD-S to bat first, but they refused to hand over the bat once their 20 overs nee months were up.
    
In a further dig at the Congress for not declaring a chief ministerial candidate, he said in the recent Karnataka elections, a third party refused to name their captain.
    
On the country's model for economic progress, Advani said the BJP was neither for the Soviet model of controlled industrialisation nor the Western model.
    
"Why can't India have an independent model like the East Asian countries," he asked.
    
"As the country progresses, we will have to do away with wide gaps between the rich and the poor and ensure inclusive growth for all," he added.