The richest
cricket Board of the world has finally made its dirty money work one more time
for its vested interests ensuring the biggest compromise in the emergency
working committee meeting in Chennai today that maintained the status quo
despite all the odds. Every genuine cricket lover of the country and the right
minded members within BCCI wanted the tainted Chief to resign on at least moral
grounds after more than ten days of defiance, arrogance and greed. But the
meeting today helped him only to step aside for allowing the so-called probe
against the IPL Spot Fixing scandal go on ‘independently’. A new interim
President was selected in the form of former BCCI Boss who also had had his
share of controversies. The compromise displayed fully the pull and clout of
various lobbies working for the interests of various political parties and
members according to their political affiliations.
A kind of a
revolt within the BCCI was palpable over the past few days with the Secretary
and the Treasurer tendering their resignations on Friday followed by the
resignation of the IPL Chairman cum Congress minister Rajeev Shukla late
Saturday night. Arun Jaitley, the BJP leader and one key Vice President of the
BCCI promised big happenings, but finally did nothing. His expertise has been
seen in recent times in disrupting the Indian Parliament for days and months
continuously on various ‘issues’ ranging from basically corruption in the UPA-2
Government. However, the great representative of common people apparently did
not consider the issues of corruption in cricket and in BCCI as ‘issue’ enough,
and his role in the compromise arrived today could be termed crucial.
Nevertheless, in the aftermath of the resignations of the BCCI officials it was
perceived that the pressure now was unbearable for Narayanswamy Srinivasan and
that he would step down in the emergency meeting today. But he was allowed only
to step aside.
The BCCI, in the
grip of the worst crisis in its history and with the possibility of losing all
credibility in the eyes of millions of cricket lovers, could have demanded
Srinivasan’s resignation with renewed vigor or could have resigned en masse making
his position ridiculous or could have discussed how to rope in fresh members in
a bid to restore its credibility. However, the spineless members only allowed
its defiant Boss to remain defiant disillusioning the cricket lovers
completely. They cited ‘constitutional’ restrictions or bindings to justify
their action. They also appealed to Sanjay Jagdale and Ajay Shirke to come back
to the BCCI. Ajay Shirke, possibly the only BCCI member with some conscience
left, refused to come back saying that despite his little knowledge about
constitutional matters the justification
offered was not acceptable. The meeting was also left it ambiguous as to who
was going to represent India
at the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The BCCI handles
national cricket, represents India
at the ICC, controls the ICC with its money power and has politicians of all
major political parties in its fold or lobbies. Therefore, there seems to be no
one who could possibly control or scrap or change the BCCI. Suresh Kalmadicould pull it off similarly, but he was at least jailed for sometime and the
International Olympic Committee at least had the power to ban the Indian
Olympic Association. But what about this Board so full of corruption, with total
lack of transparency and with no accountability or responsibility going on to
handle national cricket that millions take pride in.
Well, the
millions of Indian cricket fans must take up this issue and decide the next
course of action. They must do enough to take the issue to the Supreme Court of
India and believe in the apex court to deliver the final and lasting justice. They
also must realize the immensity of the cowardly silence still maintained by
cricket legends and former greats of this country and adopt their stand on
cricket at large clearly.
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