IOA treasurer Pandey alleges HI president Ahmad’s position ‘illegal’
LUCKNOW :The infighting within the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has now spilled over to the National Sports Federations (NSF) and state bodies, with warring factions training guns at each other over alleged financial irregularities and flouting the national sports code to become office-bearers.
The IOA row has already reached the doorstep of the International Olympic Committee. IOA vice-president Sudhanshu Mittal has accused IOA president Narinder Batra of getting elected to top posts in IOA and international hockey federation (FIH) on the basis of false affidavits.
In his reply to IOC president Thomas Bach, Batra has strongly refuted the allegations saying he has not flouted the rules of IOA and FIH.
At the centre of a fresh row were Hockey India (HI) president Mohd Mushtaque Ahmad and IOA finance committee chairman Anil Khanna who had asked for HI accounts of the last three years along with schedules.
“… I am given to understand that Hockey India is not a charitable organization and is being assessed as commercial organization and is paying income tax,” Khanna wrote on June 3.
In reply to Khanna’s letter, Ahmad targeted the Uttar Pradesh Olympic Association, the Uttarakhand Olympic Association along with federations that owe allegiance to the secretarygeneral Rajeev Mehta’s camp for not uploading their balance sheets on websites.
“These member units don’t appear to have their current balance sheets posted on their websites and in some cases don’t have websites even though this practice was mandatory for all NSFs and state associations at the IOA’s AGM in 2018,” Ahmad said in his letter to IOA finance committee head Khanna.
Ahmad, while providing details of HI account, asked the IOA finance committee to follow up on errant state bodies and federations.
“It is clear that you are wasting your time chasing Hockey India..” Ahmad wrote to Khanna.
IOA treasurer Anandeshwar Pandey on Thursday came down heavily on Ahmad, terming his position in HI ‘illegal’ citing a sports ministry circular dated February 13, 2019. The circular says that Ahmad’s election to HI president’s post is against the provisions of age and tenure guidelines of National Sports Development Code (NSDCI) , 2011.
“The age and tenure guidelines are being applied uniformly for office bearer of all National Sports Federations, and the tenure of Md Mushtaque Ahmed for 2018-2022 will be his third tenure inconsistent with the provisions of the age and tenure guidelines. Therefore, the election of Mushtaque Ahmed as president of Hockey India cannot be accepted,” according to the sports ministry letter to HI.
The letter noted Ahmad was HI treasurer from 2010-2014 and secretary general from 20142018. “HI may advise Ahmed to demit the office of President in Hockey India with immediate effect. HI is also advised to conduct elections for the post of president and Joint Secretary afresh as per the provisions of the NSDCI 2011, immediately,” it said.
Pandey wrote to Ahmad on Thursday saying any matter related to the state associations or NSFs must be discussed in the executive body of IOA and not publicly. “The State Olympic Associations and NSFs are not puppets in the hand of IOA. They are part of IOA. When we all have agreed for discussions on all issues at the IOA’s executive committee meeting what is the need of these accusations to each other in public domain,” Pandey said.