In a decision derided by detractors as "worse than match-fixing", BCCI chief N Srinivasan on Sunday agreed to "step aside" till a probe into his son-in-law is over, under a compromise formula that brought back former chief Jagmohan Dalmiya as the head of a four-member interim arrangement to run the tarnished cricket board.
More than a fortnight after spot-fixing scandal rocked leading to the arrest of his son-in-law Srinivasan's son-in-law and CSK team principal Gurunath Meiyappan and his franchise CSK, for betting and spot-fixing, Srinivasan, who claimed no charges are against him, refused to heed the mounting demands for his resignation as chief at a meeting of the working committee held in Chennai on Sunday.
In a decision that went against the pro-Sharad Pawar group, the working committee decided that the 73-year-old Dalmiya will conduct its day-to-day affairs after for the next six weeks, or till the time the probe was over and that Srinivasan will not discharge his duties. The decision came after key members including Arun Jaitley, Rajeev Shukla and Anurag Thakur appeared to have tilted the scales in favour of Dalmiya and softened the blow on Srinivasan.
While the Pawar group may have wanted former chief Shashank Manohar in Dalmiya's place, it could not extract Srinivasan's resignation. The decision came under immediate fire from dissidents including IS Bindra, Ajay Shirke, Kirti Azad and Lalit Modi camp who variously described it as "worse than match-fixing", "sham" and a "foredrawn conclusion".
However, Dalmiya strongly defended the decision saying it was too early to ask for Srinivasan's resignation and dismissed it as a compromise. To call it an eye wash is uncharitable and unreasonable. Dalmiya, who headed the BCCI for three years till 2004, will appoint a new member on the three-member inquiry commission in place of Sanjay Jagdale that will go into the allegations of betting and spot-fixing against Meiyappan.
As many as 24 members of the board attended the meeting in which there was no demand made for his resignation, Srinivasan said though Punjab Cricket Association chief IS Bindra claimed that he did. Two senior members of the working committee also said the word resignation was not used at the meeting. The meeting also urged secretary Jagdale and treasurer Ajay Shirke, who have resigned from the posts a couple of days ago, to rethink their decision and get back to the board by today. However, both of them said after the meeting that they have decided not to withdraw their resignations.
A BCCI press release issued by joint secretary Thakur said: "Srinivasan announced that he will not discharge his duties as the president of the board till such time that the probe is completed. Till such time, Dalmiya will conduct the day to day affairs of the board.” Srinivasan, who has been facing calls for resignation as BCCI chief ever since the arrest of his son-in-law, said he has taken an extraordinarily fair step by stepping aside. Shirke, said close to Pawar, expressed unhappiness over the decision of the working committee and wondered how this arrangement could work, saying, "I personally cannot make out how this kind of arrangement will work. I have just reaffirmed my decision of not to withdraw the resignation. My final decision is that I cannot continue. Nobody except Bindra and myself and a couple of others… We did question the modalities of this arrangement.”
Bindra was more vocal: "Jaitley has had his way at the meeting. Most of the suggestions came from Jaitley, including the appointment of Dalmiya. Srinivasan is not resigning, he is just stepping aside for a month. This is taking the public for a ride. We needed something more than this. I suggested, let him step aside until September, but he said he is not going to resign. I suppose if there is a meeting of the ICC, Dalmiya will go. Srinivasan will not perform any function of the
board.”
