JOIN USN Srinivasan said his decision to step aside from the duties of the BCCI president was well received by the Board members and termed it a unanimous one.
“This announcement (to step aside from the duties) I made after all the members had expressed their views. This was well received. Then Mr Dalmiya was appointed (as interim chief),” said Srinivasan after the meeting here.
There were reports that the meeting was a bitter affair, but Srinivasan denied it. “The meeting was very smooth and there was no acrimony. The members noted the tasks ahead of the BCCI. At the meeting, Bindra didn't ask me to resign,” he said.
Srinivasan then described the circumstances that led to the appointment of Dalmiya as the interim head of the BCCI.
“After discussions, I announced I will not discharge my duty till the probe is completed. In the meanwhile, because the board has to function, the Board asked Dalmiya to take care of things,” he said.
But I S Bindra, president of the Punjab Cricket Association, objected to the manner in which Dalmiya was brought back into the BCCI fold. “I have no objection to Dalmiya being appointed interim chief. He’s a very experienced administrator. But I have objection to the way he was brought in,” said Bindra.
Srinivasan said there would not be any difficulties in the functioning of the BCCI with two heads in place – Srinivasan effectively still the president and Dalmiya as acting chief. “This is an internal matter on how the Board arranges itself. Dalmiya is very experienced and within the framework of the rules of the board, it can be managed. I am not going to discharge my functions,” he told a television channel.
Asked whether the decision of the Board was just, Srinivasan said: “You can call it fair or unfair or whatever, but this is fair. It was unanimous.”