IPL Spot Fixing: The Biggest BCCI Compromise!

The richest cricket Board of the world has finally made its dirty money work one more time for its vested interests ensuring the biggest compromise in the emergency working committee meeting in Chennai today that maintained the status quo despite all the odds. Every genuine cricket lover of the country and the right minded members within BCCI wanted the tainted Chief to resign on at least moral grounds after more than ten days of defiance, arrogance and greed. But the meeting today helped him only to step aside for allowing the so-called probe against the IPL Spot Fixing scandal go on ‘independently’. A new interim President was selected in the form of former BCCI Boss who also had had his share of controversies. The compromise displayed fully the pull and clout of various lobbies working for the interests of various political parties and members according to their political affiliations.

A kind of a revolt within the BCCI was palpable over the past few days with the Secretary and the Treasurer tendering their resignations on Friday followed by the resignation of the IPL Chairman cum Congress minister Rajeev Shukla late Saturday night. Arun Jaitley, the BJP leader and one key Vice President of the BCCI promised big happenings, but finally did nothing. His expertise has been seen in recent times in disrupting the Indian Parliament for days and months continuously on various ‘issues’ ranging from basically corruption in the UPA-2 Government. However, the great representative of common people apparently did not consider the issues of corruption in cricket and in BCCI as ‘issue’ enough, and his role in the compromise arrived today could be termed crucial. Nevertheless, in the aftermath of the resignations of the BCCI officials it was perceived that the pressure now was unbearable for Narayanswamy Srinivasan and that he would step down in the emergency meeting today. But he was allowed only to step aside.

The BCCI, in the grip of the worst crisis in its history and with the possibility of losing all credibility in the eyes of millions of cricket lovers, could have demanded Srinivasan’s resignation with renewed vigor or could have resigned en masse making his position ridiculous or could have discussed how to rope in fresh members in a bid to restore its credibility. However, the spineless members only allowed its defiant Boss to remain defiant disillusioning the cricket lovers completely. They cited ‘constitutional’ restrictions or bindings to justify their action. They also appealed to Sanjay Jagdale and Ajay Shirke to come back to the BCCI. Ajay Shirke, possibly the only BCCI member with some conscience left, refused to come back saying that despite his little knowledge about constitutional matters  the justification offered was not acceptable. The meeting was also left it ambiguous as to who was going to represent India at the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The BCCI handles national cricket, represents India at the ICC, controls the ICC with its money power and has politicians of all major political parties in its fold or lobbies. Therefore, there seems to be no one who could possibly control or scrap or change the BCCI. Suresh Kalmadicould pull it off similarly, but he was at least jailed for sometime and the International Olympic Committee at least had the power to ban the Indian Olympic Association. But what about this Board so full of corruption, with total lack of transparency and with no accountability or responsibility going on to handle national cricket that millions take pride in. 

Well, the millions of Indian cricket fans must take up this issue and decide the next course of action. They must do enough to take the issue to the Supreme Court of India and believe in the apex court to deliver the final and lasting justice. They also must realize the immensity of the cowardly silence still maintained by cricket legends and former greats of this country and adopt their stand on cricket at large clearly.