Lalit Modi in RCA, murmurs in BCCI
Lalit Modi’s name is floating in India’s cricketing circles again, and not in hush-hush or dismissive manner but overtly and sympathetically. A day after the Amin Pathan-led rival faction withdrew its no-confidence motion against Modi, paving way to his return at the Rajasthan Cricket Association’s helm, former BCCI chief Sharad Pawar came out openly in the former IPL Commissioner’s support.
“The credit for IPL’s success should go to Lalit Modi. He shouldn’t be harassed by BCCI officials who are not at helm today. I am worried that people can victimise Modi. During his tenure, he has made some enemies,” Pawar told NDTV.
The RCA has been suspended by the BCCI after Modi came to power in 2014.
“I am thankful to #sharadpawar for his support and kind words,” tweeted Modi.
Earlier on Wednesday, Modi also released a statement on the latest development in the RCA which was laced with an intriguing choice of words. “Since the people holding responsible positions in BCCI are sensitive to the needs of cricket and young cricketers, we look forward to an amicable resolution of all issues,” it said.
Later, speaking to The Indian Express, Modi’s representative in India and RCA’s deputy president Mehmood M. Abdi had this to say on the BCCI-Modi issue: “This dispute also need to be solved amicably. There are people in the BCCI at the moment who are very positive looking. I hope they will take a holistic view of the situation and issues will be resolved.”
Both statements hint at the incumbent BCCI president and ICC chief Shashank Manohar, who had exchanged mails with Modi on the IPL 2013 scandal.
Curiously, Abdi, who is also Modi’s lawyer, was seen in a hotel in New Delhi last week where Manohar was also present for the reverse bidding of the two new IPL teams.
“I happened to be there at the same hotel where the BCCI were to conduct the meeting. It was merely a co-incidence,” Abdi added.
A remarkable turnaround
That makes it a remarkable series of co-incidences in the space of seven days which have seen Modi orchestrating a stunning turnaround. Not only has he survived an attempted coup, he has done so after having antagonised BJP bigwig and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley while also becoming a cause of embarrassment for Sushma Swaraj and his one-time close friend, Rajasthan’s Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia.
At the peak of the latest RCA rebellion against him, Modi had come within two vote of getting unseated from the top post. However, the BJP muscleman Pathan, who had the support of 20 out of 33 members, just couldn’t muster them.
On Wednesday, after a frustrating eight-month siege, the Pathan faction submitted it in writing that they were withdrawing the no-confidence motion against the current dispensation “in the interest of cricket”.
“So there was no need to go with the process of no-confidence motion. Lalit Modi faction was the elected through proper election and since the no-confidence motion has been withdrawn, status quo is in place,” Justice Gyan Sudha Mishra, a retired Supreme Court judge who was the Rajasthan High Court’s observer in this case, said after meeting with secretaries of all RCA member districts.
Pathan’s volte-face and Modi’s Houdini act surprised even the most seasoned RCA watchers.
“Of course, it is shocking. They kept fighting for a year. Everyone, from the game to cricketers to administrators, lost. There was mental agony and financial loss. Agar ye hi karna tha to vo sab ki kya zaroorat thi (If they had to patch-up, why they did all that earlier)?” said a veteran RCA insider. “Vo sab” included allegedly resorting to muscle power to take control of the RCA office in March and pelting stones on buses carrying Modi’s supporters. “There has been a considerable amount of bad blood between the two factions. Jo khataas hai, wo itni jaldi nahi ja sakti (it won’t disappear in a jiffy). How long will they work together?”
However, not everyone in the BCCI is willing welcome Modi back, just yet. A few top BCCI officials The Indian Express contacted on Tuesday, said that nothing would change despite Modi’s return as RCA president, and the association would continue to be suspended so long as he was attached with it.
So what could be the way forward? Suggests a BCCI insider: “Perhaps Modi will have to give some to take some. The possible arrangement could be if steps down and rules the RCA through a proxy candidate. It could possibly be the first step towards rehabilitation.”
