India sports ministry to BCCI chief: Resign
NEW DELHI: India’s sports ministry demanded Indian cricket chief Narainswamy Srinivasan resign “on moral grounds” yesterday amidst the ongoing spot-fixing scandal.
The ministry’s call was also part of a growing clamor from present and past members of the Board of Control for Cricket in India for Srinivasan to distance himself from the investigation.
“BCCI is inquiring into allegations of match and spot-fixing. As there is a conflict of interest in this inquiry, therefore the BCCI president should tender his resignation on moral grounds,” the ministry said in a statement.
The BCCI wasn’t controlled by the sports ministry, however, and nor did it depend on government funding.
Srinivasan has said previously he was not involved in the scandal and will not resign.
He became embroiled in it when his son-inlaw and Chennai Super Kings official Gurunath Meiyappan was arrested in the scandal that emerged with the arrest of former Test cricketer Shantakumaran Sreesanth and two others who played for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League.
Srinivasan is the managing director of India Cements, which owns the Chennai franchise.
The BCCI has asked retired judges Jayaram Chouta and R. Balasubramanian and BCCI secretary-general Sanjay Jagdale to investigate the roles of Meiyappan and the Chennai and Rajasthan teams.
“We’re of the view that the recommendations of this committee should be binding and that the BCCI should not ponder over it,” IPL chairman and BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla said in New Delhi in what is seen as a sign of pressure from within the board. “Till the pendency of inquiry, he (Srinivasan) should disassociate himself from the procedure but the decision rests with him.”
Former ICC and BCCI chief Sharad Pawar said the issue had affected the board’s image.
“It is better if Srinivasan leaves till the probe is over as the BCCI’s image has already been dented by the IPL scandal,” Pawar said. “All matches of this year’s IPL must be probed and the entire fixing matter should be sent to the home ministry.”
Former BCCI chiefs Shashank Manohar, Inderjit Singh Bindra and A.C. Muthiah have already criticized the way the scandal has been handled but BCCI member Jyotiradiya Scindia, who heads its finance committee, was the first from among present BCCI members to ask for Srinivasan to step aside.
“In the interest of propriety and in the interest of the game, when there is a question mark surrounding the team (Chennai) and its manager, who happens to be a family member, I believe Mr.Srinivasan must step aside,” Scindia said in New Delhi on Tuesday.