'Lalit Bhanot still calling the shots'

BENGALURU: Though the Athletics Federation of India is on record that its Annual General Body (AGM) meeting, held recently in Varanasi, had unanimously recommended the name of former secretary Lalit Bhanot, an accused in the CWG scam, to contest for the post of a vice-president in the Asian Athletics Association (AAA), members who attended the AGM say that there was no discussion about Bhanot's nomination to contest the continental body's elections.
"The news about Bhanot's plans to contest the AAA elections was doing the rounds for the last one month. But it is wrong to say that the AGM recommended his name. The topic never came up for discussion during the meeting and it was not listed anywhere in the agenda of the AGM. We came to know about only through media reports," delegates who attended the AGM told TOI.
They also opposed Bhanot's recommendation by the AFI. "How can he be nominated to contest the elections when he is not holding any post in the federation. There were other eligible candidates in AFI like PT Usha, Shiny Wilson and Jyotirmoyee Sikdar but they were all overlooked. It is still Bhanot who is calling the shots in AFI though he is only the chairman of the federation's planning commission," they alleged.
Bhanot told TOI: "Who says this was not discussed by the AGM. You ask the president (Adille Sumariwala). He is the right person to comment."
Meanwhile, citing the Bhanot family's increasing presence in the federation, AFI sources pointed to the nomination of Priyanka Bhanot, a former athlete who competed in discus throw and shot put, as a member of the AFI's Women Anti-Harassment cell headed by former Asian Games medalist Sikdar.
"Priyanka is the latest from the Bhanot family to join AFI and her appointment was announced during the AGM," they alleged. "Besides Lalit Bhanot, the others who are already part of AFI are Parth Goswami (legal advisor, Bhanot's sister-in-law's son) and Kuleep Dutta (PRO, relative). Earlier, Parth's father Ved was also part of the AFI," sources added.
Reacting to this allegation, Bhanot said: "I have to check (regarding Priyanka's nomination). Parth is there but he is only an advisor. Kuldip Dutta is not my brother-in-law and he is nobody in AFI."
But isn't he known as the PRO of AFI?
"That was 10 years back. I reiterate that he is nobody in the federation now. He is only a vendor who works for AFI."