Srinagar, June 25: A member of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) appointed sub-committee for J&K Cricket Association (JKCA) affairs Sunil Sethi Friday said that the committee was focussed on bringing J&K cricket body back in order.
Sethi said that the three-member committee was focussed on three things which were essential in bringing JKCA back in order.
“We are interested in reviving cricket activities in J&K. We are focussed to resolve all disputes within the clubs and association so that elections can be held as quickly as possible. While we will be doing our job in bringing JKCA to its order, the cricket activities should not suffer. Personally all the committee members want to resolve all issues of JKCA quickly,” Sethi said.
Reacting to the statement of former BCCI Vice President and JKCA General Secretary, M L Nehru, Sethi said, “M L Nehru is right and we have been mandated by BCCI to consult clubs and all the stakeholders to resolve all disputes in JKCA. We have recently taken charge and in first step we looked into JKCA assets and also took opinion of well known former cricketers of J&K. We are committed to resolve all disputes in JKCA and for that we will take onboard all stakeholders and then look after the amendment of the constitution as per the Lodha panel recommendations.”
About issuing political statements, he said, “We have not issued any political statement and have only highlighted the role played by certain persons while being part of JKCA. JKCA is only body that has not received any funds from BCCI for around 15 years now and that all is due to various embezzelment that happened over the years. Due to unaudited accounts, BCCI only sends day-to-day expenses and not any development fund. One of our roles is to clean all the mess in the accounts”.
Sethi said BCCI by appointing Anil Gupta and him in the three member Sub-committee had not floated any Lodha Panel recommendations.
“BCCI hasn’t violated any norms or rules by appointing me and Anil Gupta in the committee. The committee includes former cricketer, administrator and a legal expert. I have been a legal counsel for BCCI for around eight years and have been included in the committee on the basis of my legal background, MithunManhas because of his cricketing skills, and Anil Gupta because of being an administrator. BCCI has tried to cover all bases and for Srinagar they have made another former cricketer Majid Dar as incharge,” he said.
“Lodha Panel recommendations bar ministers and government officials from any posts in the cricket bodies. Nowhere a politician who is not holding any public office is barred. On another note, personally I want to finish my job in this committee as quickly as possible as I have my own professional commitments,” Sethi said.