BCCI Secretary asks chief’s contribution other than taking passes, clicking photos

By Baidurjo Bhose

New Delhi, May 18 (IANS) The tiff between acting BCCI President C.K. Khanna and Committee of Administrators (CoA) member Diana Edulji over the presentation of the IPL trophy to the winning captain has taken a new turn.

Acting BCCI Secretary Amitabh Choudhary has taken a dig at Khanna and said that apart from being someone who has time and again looked for opportunities to get photographed, there has been little contribution from the acting President.

In a letter, which has been accessed by IANS, Choudhary has taken a dig at Khanna and questioned his contribution as the BCCI President apart from sending greetings to people and collecting passes from all and sundry. He also pointed out how the President has never spoken a word in important meetings of the cricket board.

"As fate would have it, the Supreme Court while removing the President on January 2, 2017 had been left with no alternative but to appoint one of the five Vice Presidents in his place. And thus you came to occupy the seat meant for titans like Grant Govan, Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan, Vizianagram, M.A. Chidambaram, Z.R. Irani, N.K.P. Salve, Raj Singh Dungarpur, Jagmohan Dalmiya, Sharad Pawar and Shashank Manohar. Each one of these giants commanded awe and respect on account of their stature and contribution to the glorious game of cricket.

"One had only hoped that at least the circumstances of this elevation and positions and responsibilities of the office which these hitherto geniuses had occupied would help you rise above the most undistinguished stretch that you have had so far.

"What have you done since fate ensconced you there apart from collecting passes from all and sundry, extending new years'-Diwali-Christmas greetings and not missing a single opportunity for getting photographed least realising how much damage it has brought to the BCCI's pride and reputation," Choudhary wrote.

"I don't remember a single word either having been uttered by you in the meetings you considered important enough to attend or on email or other communication drawing a blank on the trying subjects of Lodha Reforms or Supreme Court judgment of July 18, 2016, various big value auctions conducted by the BCCI, issue of sexual harassment or for that matter even the recent imbroglio on the course of action under FEMA," he added.

The Secretary then went on to again question why the President didn't respond to the questions as to why Khanna hadn't presented the winner's trophy at the end of the fifth and final ODI between India and Australia at the Feroz Shah Kotla despite several mails.

"After umpteen requests you have chosen to abstain on this subject (India-Australia presentation). As if these were not enough, now the world has learnt of your conduct immediately preceding the IPL trophy presentation on May 12. It seems the only thing that preoccupied your mind on the said day was the presentation of the trophy by yourself despite humiliating BCCI on March 13 at Delhi.

"To achieve this end, you were learnt to have subjected yourself to the indignity of carrying in your pocket, as President, a print out of the email written by the acting Secretary (who was not even present in Hyderabad) in 2017 while conveniently forgetting this ongoing email trail," Choudhary wrote.

The Secretary further added that the contents of his 2017 mail weren't even relevant as that hadn't taken into account the fact that Khanna would put the BCCI to shame with his act on March 13 during the India-Australia game.

"As anyone can understand the contents of the 2017 email was much before you subjected the BCCI to the embarrassment of March 13, 2019 and it is obvious the context had accordingly changed and the 2017 email was no longer relevant. In any case if indeed the acting Secretary had written something so important on the subject, how is it that you have not responded to this current email on that very subject," he further wrote.

Choudhary finally reminded Khanna that he wasn't elected as the office bearer and it was only an elevation due to circumstances and that Khanna's original role of being a Vice President wasn't even considered to come under the office bearers.

"The last election to the BCCI was in March 2015. Four office bearers were elected and you were not one of them. In other words, you had not even been an elected office bearer, unlike the President, Secretary, Joint Secretary and Treausrer as the then constitution did not even consider the five Vice Presidents as office bearers.

"And let me tell you such a provision was not an accident. The rule so existed because there were as many as five Vice Presidents, one for each zone, without a countrywide jurisdiction, with little or no functions to perform. You had been elected as one of them, each with limited authority," he pointed.

(Baidurjo Bhose can be contacted at baidurjo.b@ians.in)