Wadiyar counters Mallya remarks

“I wish to state that the comments made by Dr Vijay Mallya are fallacious, misleading and not in accordance with facts,” said Wadiyar here on Saturday.

Pointing out that Mallya had attended just six Managing Committee meetings out of 38, Wadiyar said that the flamboyant businessman wasn’t aware of the progress made by the KSCA in the last three years. He further alleged: “Out of the said six meetings he attended, four of them were only for the limited purpose of ensuring his nomination from the KSCA to attend the BCCI AGM.”

Countering the allegation that his colleagues in the committee were only keen on destroying secretary Brijesh Patel, Wadiyar said Mallya’s statement was far from true.
“It’s a pure divisionary tactic from the fact that he contributed precious little as a member of the MC. In fact, he has on many occasions confided that the conduct of Brijesh Patel and his lack of a cordial relationship with the BCCI was the sole contributing factor for the stagnation of the growth of cricket in the State,” he alleged.

Wadiyar also made public a text message he said had been sent to him by Mallya on August 11, 2008 which accused Patel of behaving badly. “The message also said he was going to break his (Patel's) group so that I can function with dignity as President.”

Wadiyar denied Mallya’s charge that the funds released by him as a sponsor of the academy weren't utilised properly. “After several efforts, a sum of Rs 45 lakh out of the total amount of Rs 10.4 crore has been received by the KSCA till date and it has been invested in fixed diposits,” he added.