Rift in board out in the open

The recently concluded AGM of the BCCI that elected N. Srinivasan unopposed gave an impression that the Board was a ‘house in order’, but skeletons seem to be stumbling out of the closet one after another. After veteran administrator Niranjan Shah’s displeasure against Srinivasan, it was the turn of former president Shashank Manohar on Wednesday. Breaking his silence over the IPL issue and the troubles that BCCI is facing of late, Manohar, who handed over the baton to Srinivasan in 2010, has called the Tamil Nadu official an “autocrat who wants all the power for himself”. Manohar, in an interview, went on to say that Srinivasan was trying to “shield everyone including his IPL team Chennai Super Kings”. He also claimed that there was evidence against Srinivasan’s son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan that linked him to CSK and hoped that the “truth will come out” in the open. He added that Jagmohan Dalmiya and a few other board members asked him to contest the recent BCCI presidential election that Srinivasan won unopposed. Manohar said if the entire board is interested in his services, he won’t shy away from returning to cricket administration. Meanwhile, the BCCI on Thursday took strong exception to Manohar’s attempt to get his name expunged from the legal cases against the Board with secretary Sanjay Patel saying that the move amounts to shirking responsibility. “There was no question of the affidavit filed by Manohar in the Bombay HC being discussed. But (what was discussed) was the case fought by Manohar in his individual way (capacity) leaving aside the other office bearers and the employees of BCCI. That thing was discussed. Members were not happy with the kind of thing that has happened,” Patel said. “BCCI rules and regulations and memorandum is very clear. The Board is functioning under the superintendence (authority) of the president. The entire Board is together on the issue. That is why, the issue was discussed in the AGM and the members have shown their displeasure,” he added. Manohar had submitted an affidavit in the high court to clear his name from the cases. Giving relief to him, the court on August 7 quashed and set aside a notice issued by ED directing Manohar to appear before the agency.