BCCI opposes Sports Ministry move to ‘leash’ it

Shukla also said only those organisations that take government grants should come under the Act and that the BCCI was surely not one of them.

The Bill is being seen as an important tool to control cricket in India and to curb any illegal practices involved.

The new sports bill,which was prepared after receiving comments and suggestions from various stakeholders and the public,seeks to have BCCI as a national sports federation (NSF) and wants it to function as a ‘public authority’ and ‘comply with the requirements specified in the Right to Information Act’.

If BCCI becomes an NSF,it would be bound to provide information under the RTI and would also be forced to follow the anti-doping rules as specified by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

These proposals have been opposed by the BCCI and some sports bodies,including the Indian Olympic Association (IOA),which want to continue functioning in an autonomous manner,free from public scrutiny and accountability.

Former Indian cricket captains Kapil Dev and Mohammed Azharuddin favoured the BCCI becoming a National Sports Federation and falling under the purview of the RTI Act,as proposed in the National Sports (Development) Bill.

Kapil Dev said the cricket body should not be thinking of defying the law.

If government formulates a rule,the BCCI should follow the framework of the guidelines and I believe BCCI can work independently but must always toe the government line, said Kapil,India’s first World Cup winning captain.

Azharuddin,a Congress MP from Moradabad,said BCCI should not be exempted from the provision of the law.

It is good for sports bodies and their professional running. It (law) should be for all Sports Federations and there should be no exception, he said.

However,BCCI is still adamant and not ready to be covered by the legislation. Former cricketer Ajay Jadeja also said that BCCI should not be opposing the legislation.

BCCI has done a great job but when a government passes a law,it can’t look at individuals or one individual body,because sports is one. And if they come out with a Bill to cover all the sporting bodies,I don’t see anything wrong in that, said Jadeja.

Kapil asked other NSFs to take lessons from the BCCI on how to run an organisation.

Rather than criticising cricket for getting more publicity,the other Sports Federation can learn from BCCI as to how well they have marketed the game, said Kapil.

The former all-rounder also urged the corporate world to spend a portion of their money on development of other sports.