IOA's twice postponed BFI meeting on July 28

NAGPUR: With an aim to end the ongoing dispute in Basketball Federation of India (BFI), the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has now convened the twice postponed meeting between the two warring factions on July 28.
The IOA on Thursday shot a letter to the leaders of the warring factions — K Govindraj and Poonam Mahajan — requesting them to make themselves available for the meeting at the office of IOA at 12pm on July 28.While Govindraj, president elected in the Bengaluru AGM, has skipped the meeting on both the earlier occasions, the IOA kept the players' interest in mind by convening the third meeting of both the factions.
In the absence of one of the warring factions and on Govindraj's request the IOA postponed the scheduled July 15 and July 19 meetings.
"Further to the IOA letter dated 9th July and subsequent E-mails to convene a meeting with both the factions of Basketball Federation of India (BFI). However, meeting had to be postponed twice. It is now decided to hold the meeting at 12pm on July 28, 2015 at Olympic Bhawan, New Delhi," the IOA said in the letter on Thursday.
Taking a note of the TOI's Monday report that the dispute has left country's best U-16 girl hoopsters stranded ahead of the forthcoming Fiba Asia championship, the IOA reminded both the factions its duty to take BFI out of the current situation. On the directions of sports ministry and in a bid to quickly resolve the dispute in BFI the IOA secretary Rajeev Mehta's letter added, "As you are aware that the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has not recognized any of the factions, meanwhile in view of various championships to take place in near future, therefore, in view of the above, it is the duty of all concerned to pave way to take out BFI out of the present situation."
He further said, "You are requested to kindly attend the meeting at the time, date and venue mentioned above so as to resolve the dispute in BFI without further delay."
The two BFI factions, one led by Govindraj and another by Mahajan were elected as the head of Indian federation on March 27 and March 28 at Bengaluru and Pune respectively.
On June 29, the Sports Ministry intervened and shot a letter, where the under secretary to the government of India wrote to the IOA secretary general, asking him to resolve the issue of granting recognition to BFI. Since then the IOA is trying to convene a meeting of both the warring factions.