It is just a vilification campaign: Azhar

The match-fixing scandal has not only hotted up but unfortunately has now taken an ugly turn. One of racism and communalism. If Manoj Prabhakar's clandestine recording was unethical, former Indian captain Mohd. Azharuddin has played up the communal card which may harm the game more than the Hansiegate scam itself.

In an interview to the Indian media, Azharuddin threatened to sue former captains Hansie Cronje, Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri apart from Manoj Prabhakar and categorically rejected Union Sports Minister SS Dhindsa's suggestion that he quit the game till his name is cleared. ``Why should I step down,'' he asked. He also said that Gavaskar, Shastri and Prabhakar have ganged up to 'frame' him.

"They have ganged up to frame me...This entire exercise is just a vilification campaign...I plan to sue all of them," Azharuddin thundered during the interview. He said he will proceed against Cronje, Gavaskar, Shastri, Prabhakar, a journalist and also the web site tehelka.com apart from US multinational McDonalds for putting up the hoarding `Azhar ne pucca khaya hai.' He said "I have hired none other than Ram Jethmalani (Union Law Minister) to represent me."

Dhindsa, clarifying his position said "In fact, I want all those players, including Indian team coach Kapil Dev, to first get their names cleared before returning to the side." He added that he was not jumping the gun, but only telling the players to show some moral courage.

Continuing his aggressive stance, Azharuddin accused Cronje as a 'racist' and added "because our police taped him, the South Africans have conspired to fix the blame on Indians."

The former Indian captain brought in the communal theory to this entire episode of match-fixing. He said "Mainly because I belong to the minority community, I am being victimised and targeted, especially by some ex-cricketers who have a personal grudge against me. I have never felt this but now I am beginning to feel it. Even responsible persons allege that I have underworld connections. The Press calls me a traitor.''

Differing from the charges made by Azhar, Dhindsa said he was not being victimised becuase he belongs to a certain community. He said "These remarks will not help him as laws are not framed to deal with crime on the basis of religion."

Azharuddin denied the allegation made by former income tax commissioner Vishwa Bandhu Gupta that he was the cricketer who had declared Rs 16 crores under the VDIS scheme. He said that a case has already been filed against Gupta and added "I challenge it and announce a prize of Rs one crore to anyone who can prove this charge."

Azhar said "I have never been controversial and neither do I have any regrets about the way I have led my life. Ups and downs are a part of life, this is destiny. I am innocent."

Meanwhile, former Indian wicket keeper Sadanand Vishwanath said he did not think that Azharuddin was involved in match-fixing. Talking to a news agency in Bangalore, Vishwanath said "I don't think he will go to this extent. I pray and hope he is not involved in this."

Meanwhile, Delhi Police sources said they have identified a Mukesh Gupta (referred to as MK) even before Cronje named him. MK owns a jewellery shop in New Delhi. The sources said MK's name figured as a contact person in their list of suspects. MK's father Mohanlal denied his son's links with any cricketer. He said ``He just watches cricket. All of us have seen Azhar only on television and scanning the telephone directory they have "singled us out" added Mohanlal.

Former Indian captain and manager Ajit Wadekar said in Mumbai that he had got a call from a CBI official about wanting to interrogate him again. ``The official told me he would get back to me next week after deciding whether I should be summoned to Delhi or they would come here and meet me."

The CBI said it was collecting all the details of the deposition made by Cronje before the King Commission. In his testimony Cronje had alleged that it was Azharuddin who introduced him to a bookie in India in 1996.

Finally, as it has been ever since the match-fixing scandal broke it was another day of allegations, denials, defamation suits and investigations. Nothing really concrete has evolved as yet except that Cronje has accepted that he is guilty. Going by the face value of Cronje's testimony, he has virtually given a clean chit to all his players and the 'suspected' Centurion Test match but has pointed his fingers on two persons - Salim Malik and Azharuddin. From wherever the match fixing news comes in, there seems to be some sort of Indian connection in them, be it statements from Ali Bacher, Cronje or Dean Jones.