How the political involvement has defamed the game of cricket

How the political involvement has defamed the game of cricket: The trend had started as early as in 1933 when Punjabi politician Sikander Hiyat Khan was entrusted with the responsibility of heading the Board Of Control of Cricket in India as its President. The uninvited barging in of the political class into the sporting administration, especially Indian cricket is a thing that kindles discomposure and irk in the hearts and minds of the game’s devout followers.

After 66 years of gaining independence, seems like it is about time that Indian sports need to be freed from the loathed clutches of the political class. Had the impingement of the political class resulted in something fruitful, then may be it is pointless to lambaste them, but the things that have precipitated out of their involvement have been shame, ignominy and above all defamation and disrepute to the wonderful game of cricket that is being followed like a separate religion here in this country of a billion plus people.

It turns out that Sharad Pawar the NCP Supremo and senior Maharashtra politician has been re-elected as the President of Mumbai Cricket Association recently. This hardly makes slightest of sense. Why should a politician who is supposed to contest political elections and work for the welfare of the public, barge into the sports administration uninvited? In 2010, it was alleged that the Pawar family indirectly held a 16% stake in the City Corporation, which had bid ₹11.76 billion (equivalent to ₹16 billion or US$250 million in 2015) for the Pune franchise of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Pawar and his family denied the allegations, but the bidders board of the IPL contradicted their claims.

In 2010, in the case of tax exemptions of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Shiv Sena MLA Subhash Desai alleged that the state cabinet decided in January to impose the tax, before the year’s IPL season started, but the decision was not implemented because of NCP chief Pawar’s association with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Was it in any way necessary to appoint such a besmirched and tainted politician as the president of MCA? Doesn’t look good at least from here.

The N Srinivasan rigmarole is yet another classic example of such conniving nature. Until September 2008, BCCI regulation, Clause 6.2.4 stated that “no administrator of BCCI could have had, directly or indirectly, any commercial interest in the matches or events conducted by the cricket board”. Later, after the start of IPL in 2008, the clause was amended to give unfavorable benefit to BCCI members such that they can own stakes in the IPL franchise.

N. Srinivasan became the owner of Chennai Super Kings. It is crystal clear that the rule was deliberately and with a malice aforethought amended to favour Srini’s intentions and crooked purposes. N Srinivisan’s son in law flouted the rules in the IPL by indulging in spot fixing activities. But even then, the man didn’t budge an inch. He didn’t give up his post or regret his son in law’s actions, which any person with a right conscience would have undoubtedly opted for.

The most recent political interference saga has been the link of BJP politician and foreign affairs minister of India Sushma Swaraj’s alleged link with the dethroned IPL Chief Lalit Modi. Lalit Modi himself admitted that he had requested Sushma to get his travel documents from the UK government and Sushma too had obliged. “I know Swaraj Kaushal (Sushma’s husband) for 20 years. He has been my advocate for 20 years. His daughter Bansuri had been my advocate for four years,” he said.

It is also said that Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje gave a witness statement supporting Modi for his immigration. The Raje government appears to have signed an MoU with the same Portuguese hospital that treated Lalit Modi’s wife for cancer. Raje, in a press note issued by her media advisor, said: “I know the family of Lalit Modi. But I am not aware which document people are talking about.” The feeble defense and the half baked explanation of the politician is hardly assuasive.

The infamous and disconcerting trend of besmearing politicians donning the top role in sports administration is nauseating and is showing India in bad light big time. We can’t waste our precious time waiting for a Messiah to clean up the mess. We as passionate fans of a democratic country have every right in the world to revolt against such ungainly trend and voice out our opinions loud enough to be heard. If we have to shout to be heard, we will. If we have fight to be heard, we are ready for a crusade.

Will a country casted, creeded, separated, disgusted by its political class ever get an administrator who actually knows the game? If not only for cricket we have had administrative bugs in all sporting authorities of the country. And do we actually need to think for a reason over the sombre state of Indian Sports?

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