Ram falls, Stan stays on course

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 8

Former Sports Minister Ajay Maken has spoken about how the politicians control the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) through an Omerta Code, ie an unspoken agreement about maintaining silence about their activities in the organisation.

Maken had tried hard to build a political consensus on enacting a Sports Bill when he was the Sports Minister; it envisaged enforcing accountability and good governance practices in the sports associations of the country, including the BCCI. However, his attempts were thwarted as politicians, cutting across party lines, opposed the Sports Bill.

Maken has endorsed the recommendations of the Lodha Committee, which has suggested radical reforms in the BCCI. This includes bringing the BCCI under the RTI Act, and adhering to age and tenure norms. “They (officials) are fearful of giving more powers to the players,” Maken wrote today. “This is exactly what I as a Sports Minister wanted through the Sports Bill. Among other things, this is also what Justice Lodha Committee has directed.”

Maken said that the Sports Bill that he tried hard to promote could not see the light of the day because of “stiff opposition from the honchos of BCCI, drawn from senior positions in all political parties”. “They were opposed to more powers for the players, age and tenure norms and most importantly against the transparency in BCCI,” he wrote. “The Board, using their top lawyers, will again oppose Justice Lodha Committee recommendations tooth and nail.”

Maken also referred to the understanding among the top politicians from different parties about maintaining their control on the BCCI. “Interestingly, in this (BCCI spot-fixing case), the views of a top minister of the present-day ruling party (who is also a top lawyer) were supported in the Apex Court by a top minister of UPA (who is also a top lawyer),” he went on. “There’s an Omerta Code here, so the battle is not going to be easy. But the question is do we need to reform the game we love so much? Or do we let the politicians control this game and its resources shrouded in mystery under the garb of a private company?”

Maken endorsed the view expressed by the Lodha Committee that the politicians and government officials have other, important duties and don’t have the skills to administer sports. “It requires top class expert administrators, managers, coaches and others,” he wrote. “This is a full time job and active politicians and bureaucrats are the most ill-equipped for such purposes.”