Govt takes strong exception to Azhar's remarks

Yet another week has passed by in the ongoing match-fixing investigations. Again allegations have been made without concrete proof. In the testimony before the King Commission, first UCBSA managing director Ali Bacher and later former South African captain Hansie Cronje came out with some sensational disclosures. But the week was witness to a dangerous trend in some of the reactions - ranging from conspiracy against Asians to communal theory.

Not surprisingly, the Union Minister of State for Sports Shahnawaz Hussain on Saturday took strong exception to the words used by former Indian captain Mohd. Azharuddin. Hussain said Azhar was trying to communalise the match-fixing issue. Hussain in his statement said "This is highly unfortunate and rubbish. When the entire nation loved him as a cricketer and worshipped him as a hero then the question of communalism was never raised by him. Now that his name is figuring in the wrong list he is coming out with such mean talk."

Hussain added "Azharuddin should not forget that the Sports Ministry is headed by SS Dhindsa who belongs to the minority community. I too am a Muslim." This was in reaction to the Hyderabad captain saying that he has been targetted because he belongs to the minority community. Earlier, Dhindsa had also criticised Azharuddin for communalising the issue.

In his statement, the general secretary of the BJP, M Venkiah Naidu also reacted strongly to Azharuddin's statement. Naidu said "For 16 long years he played for the country and the best part as captain. Now, all of a sudden realisation dawns on him that he belongs to a minority community. It is so painful that he is using this card now. Was he not aware that he was a member of the minority community all this while? Did anyone show discrimination? We admired him and his play. He has fallen from the pedestal now. At least for playing the religious card now if not for playing the game the way he did."

The minister also said that the government was contemplating a new sports policy to enforce strict punishment to those players if proved guilty in match-fixing. Hussain said "The honour of the nation lies with them..match-fixers should be treated as traitors." He added the ministry would also advice the BCCI to drop tainted players till they come out clean.

In a statement from Chennai, BCCI president AC Muthiah said "The board will not take any action against players or officials until they are proved guilty by CBI, which is probing the allegations of matchfixing." He added "the minister has made a statement and correctly left it to the board for a decision." This was in response to Dhindsa's earlier statement that the players and officials against whom allegations have been levelled should stay out of the national team till they prove they are innocent.

Meanwhile in Hyderabad, Azharuddin said that he has no plans to go to New Delhi to testify. Azhar said ``I have not received any summons from the CBI nor do I have any immediate plans to go to Delhi."

In New Delhi on Saturday, the assistant commissioner of income-tax Vishwa Bandhu Gupta has filed a complaint of fabrication against the website tehelka.com. In his complaint, Gupta has said "One can very well see that there is no lip synchronisation in the video cassette...My picture has been only used while the voice (which is not clear) has been dubbed by somebody."

Talking to a newspaper, Gupta said "I have charged the company of primarily fraud and cheating besides breach of trust and fabrication of evidence." Gupta said that he has asked the investigating authorities to submit the video tapes to the forensic laboratory for analysis. The IT Commissioner said that the forensic analysis is necessary to establish how the mix of the audio and video excerpts was evolved. The footage in the video shows him saying that Azharuddin was the player who declared Rs.16 crores under the VDIS scheme.

On the statements made by Azharuddin, Gupta said "I will definitely sue him in Delhi courts on two counts. He claims to have sent me a notice but I have received nothing as such. The first charge that he made was that I am being communal. He will have to establish my communal credentials. The second allegation against me is that of conspiracy which too he will have to prove."

Meanwhile, CBI sources said that Mukesh Gupta has gone `underground' and attempts to locate him had not succeeded so far. The sources added that a team of its special crime branch had visited Gupta's jewellery shop as well as his residence but did not find him though his father KL Gupta alleged he had been picked up by CBI sleuths. Mukesh Gupta was named by Cronje in his testimony to the commission.

Finally, if the sub-continent and particularly India has been instrumental in supporting the cause of globalisation of the game, it has also been accused of globalising the match-fixing and betting menace. It is up to the concerned authorities to take this matter rather seriously instead of rubbishing them. For these reactions may have further repercussions not only to the game but the sporting relationship as well.