Srinivasan silences potential rebels

As demands for N Srinivasan's resignation as BCCI President continued, three important members of the cricket board on Monday parried questions on the issue even as the beleaguered chief complained that the media was hounding him. BJP MP and former cricketer Kirti Azad made an oblique criticism of IPL Chairman Rajeev Shukla and his party leader Arun Jaitley, both important office-bearers of BCCI, as to why they were not raising their voice against Srinivasan`s continuance. "Where are those keepers of high moral values in both UPA and NDA...Why are not they raising voice on the removal of Srinivasan over IPL scandal?" the BJP MP asked. "These people who raise voice in Parliament on any political issue are not speaking in public over the spot fixing in IPL and removal of BCCI chief over the dirty episode," he told PTI.

"The people who raised pitch of their voice to seek resignation of former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yedurappa or NDA leaders who presurrised P K Bansal and Ashwani Kumar to quit Manmohan Singh cabinet are silent over such a sensitive issue," the Lok Sabha member from Darbhanga said. When confronted by newsmen at the Congress office, IPL Chairman Shukla declined to comment on the raging isssue. "This is not the occasion to talk about it. Serious incident has taken place in Chhastisgarh, I am going for the prayer meeting", Shukla said. BCCI Joint Secretary Anurag Thakur also parried questions on the issue. Board vice-President and a member of the Disciplinary Committee Arun Jaitley promised "tough action" against anyone found guilty of involvement in the spot-fixing scandal that shook the IPL. Jaitley, who is also a member of IPL Governing Council, said a free and fair investigation would be conducted within a stipulated deadline. "The Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) of BCCI is looking into all these matters," was Jaitley's reaction when asked about the spot-fixing scandal. "The Supreme Court has given it (BCCI) a 15-day time limit. It will give its report which will come up before the Disciplinary Committee. Be rest assured we are going to take tough action (against anyone found guilty)," he said.