Whose Sachin is he? Parties compete

Mumbai: Sachin Tendulkar's record-breaking double century against South Africa seems to have Maharashtra's politicians falling over each other in a game of one-upmanship.

Just a few weeks after the Shiv Sena lampooned Sachin for his Mumbai-for-all-Indians comment, the Sena-led Mumbai civic authority wants to name one of the entry points into the city after the top cricketer.

Attempting to better that, the Congress plans to recommend Sachin for a Bharat Ratna - and construct a museum in Mumbai to chronicle his achievements.

"We will ask the central government to award Bharat Ratna to Sachin, who has mesmerised cricket lovers the world over," said Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, adding, "Even cricketers around the globe are saying Sachin has attained a stature higher than that of legendary Sir Don Bradman."

Chief Minister Ashok Chavan added: "We have not consulted him yet but we want to build a museum in Mumbai where his achievements can be showcased through the medals he has won, through audio visual means that will chronicle his achievements. It will be a museum of international standards where even international tourists will want to go and learn about Sachin," said.