JOIN USDhoni silent on fixing
Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Tuesday was forced to join the silent brigade on the spot-fixing scandal even as calls for the resignation of BCCI President N Srinivasan began to emanate from within the board.
Dhoni was bombarded with questions regarding the spot-fixing issue during Indian team’s departure press conference in Mumbai ahead of the Champions Trophy. But Dr R N Baba, media manager of the BCCI, parried the queries, acting according to the diktat of the cricket board to not entertain any questions on the episode.
Ever since the scandal broke out, Dhoni, captain of the Chennai Super Kings team owned by Srinivasan, has not said anything on the issue and he did not address the media even at the IPL final in Kolkata. On Tuesday, media personnel hoping to get the captain’s views were left disappointed lot. But the BCCI could not prevent one of its own influential members from speaking out against Srinivasan.
Step down: Scindia
Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union Power Minister and the head of BCCI’s Finance Committee, urged Srinivasan to step down from the top job, at least till the enquiry against Gurunath Meiyappan — son-in-law of the board chief — was completed. Meiyappan was arrested last week for his alleged link with bookies.
“From my point of view, not for a second am I assuming that anybody is guilty. In the interest of propriety and in the interest of the game at this point of time when there is a question mark surrounding an individual, surrounding the team (CSK) and surrounding the manager of that team who happens to be a family member, I believe in all sense of the word propriety that Mr Srinivasan must step aside,” said Scindia.
Three-member panel
The day also saw the BCCI forming a three-member panel to probe the allegations against Meiyappan, India Cements Ltd (owners of CSK) and Jaipur IPL Pvt Ltd (owners of the Rajasthan Royals). The three-member panel includes Sanjay Jagdale, secretary of BCCI, Justice Jayram Chouta, former judge of Karnataka and Madras High Courts, and Justice R Balasubramanian, former judge of the Madras High Court.
Scindia was scathing in his criticism of Srinivasan. “If you consider the conflict of interest he is in, as one of his family members is alleged of wrongdoing, then propriety demands that he should step aside. I would have done the same had I been in his place. Willy-nilly we are responsible for the wrongdoing of our family members to some extent. Example has to be set from the top,” Scindia, who also heads the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association, said.
“Let the inquiry take place and in the event that he is completely clear, certainly let him be reinstated. But at this time when cricket needs to be cleansed and when there is a question mark at the top, it would be in the interest of the game that Srinivasan steps aside,” Scindia added.
Former BCCI president IS Bindra too had demanded Srinivasan’s resignation terming the Tamil Nadu strong man “an arrogant person and administrator.” However, Scindia’s comments might have come as a shock for Srinivasan as he became the first member within the BCCI hierarchy to speak against the board president.