Anti-Modi group claims it has taken charge of RCA
Politics continues to rule the roost in the RCA, even as the Modi group is engaged in a couple of court cases with the BCCI over his election as the president of the body in May and the subsequent suspension of the RCA by the Board.
A group opposed to Lalit Modi on Sunday claimed to have taken "charge" of the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA), even as police intervened and installed a picket inside the Sawai Man Singh Stadium, where the association headquarters are housed.
Politics continues to rule the roost in the RCA, even as the Modi group is engaged in a couple of court cases with the BCCI over his election as the president of the body in May and the subsequent suspension of the RCA by the Board.
BCCI expelled Modi last year for alleged financial irregularities, but he was elected RCA president in an election supervised by Supreme Court-appointed observers.
Modi's rivals - 23 out of 33 districts that constitute the RCA - held an executive committee meeting on Saturday and appointed Amin Pathan, who represents Kota district and has been one of the strongest Modi supporters, their new president in a dramatic 'coup'.
On Sunday, RCA deputy president and Modi loyalist Mehmood M. Abdi said that Pathan has been suspended. "We have suspended Amin and referred the matter to the RCA's disciplinary committee. We also lodged an FIR with the police in the matter," Abdi told MAIL TODAY.
Asked if it was true that the Pathan group had taken "charge" of the RCA office, Abdi said: "They sat in some rooms that were already open, but some are still locked." He confirmed that the police has put up a picket outside the RCA headquarters.
Since it was a weekend, neither party could approach any court of law. But the Modi group didn't rule out moving a court in future. "It all will depend on what developments take place on Monday," Abdi said.
Meanwhile, the Pathan group elected new RCA office-bearers, a move that was laughed away by Abdi, who insisted that officials are not appointed in such a manner.
New treasurer Mohammed Iqbal said that Shakti Singh Rathore (secretary) and Vimal Sharma (deputy president) are the other office bearers.
"On Sunday, the police initially stopped us from entering the stadium. But at around 5.30 pm they let us in and we occupied the RCA office and took charge," Iqbal told Mail Today.
The Pathan group has got the support of former RCA secretary Subhash Joshi.
Asked about his support to the Pathan group, Joshi said the RCA was suffering due to its suspension by the BCCI. "There are so many reasons," said Joshi. "For example, the BCCI has withheld a `28 crore subsidy which is due to the RCA. We cannot please one person [Modi] while the association suffers."
After RCA's suspension, 75 players moved the Jaipur bench of the Rajasthan High Court, praying to be allowed to compete in BCCI tournaments. The court upheld their prayer and appointed joint RCA-BCCI selection committees, and now trials for selection of various teams will begin on Tuesday.