Sakyasen Mittra
The message is clear in the post Srinivasan era… the seven star facilities and the travel allowance (TA) and daily allowance (DA) which BCCI officials enjoyed earlier are all set to be scrapped. No more unnecessary wastage of money during Shashank Manohar’s term as BCCI president, a step that was expected knowing the history of the Nagpur-based lawyer. He may be the ‘Reluctant Messiah’, but then he is not one to shirk away from his agenda.
It is indeed very difficult to find a man of Manohar’s stature. He is a man who doesn’t prefer the usual jacket and tie; short-sleeves shirts tucked into the trousers, is his usual attire. The last time he became the BCCI president he tailored some suits and trousers and bought a couple of ties… after all he was the boss of the richest board in the world.
But then once his tenure ended, he gave those away as he had already said that he wouldn’t return to the helm again. Circumstances and a person called Arun Jaitley changed all that, so this time around, before Manohar arrived at Mumbai, wife Varsha forced him to buy a jacket and tie so that he could meet the media properly attired.
In his interaction with the media, Sunday, the newly-elected president emphasised on one factor continuously. He said that his primary aim would be to get back the ‘faith’ the BCCI had lost during the last 3-4 years and to bring about a ‘transparency’ in the board’s functioning. And one of his first steps was to ask his son Adwait to resign from the marketing and legal committees of the BCCI because of ‘conflict of interest’.
In comparison, Srinivasan’s actions after his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan got implicated in the spot-fixing scandal would appear to be ‘devilish’. Srinivasan clung on to his chair and in spite of the advice of his well-wishers was present as the chief guest during the 2013 IPL final. For the last two years, he has constantly conjured up ways and means to cling to power and has gone to various courts of justice on the flimsiest of grounds. The BCCI definitely would be better off him.
What hasn’t appeared in the media is that Manohar, after disclosing his agenda, has said that he would again meet journalists December 4 … bold statement indeed, considering the slew of changes that he has advocated. When a journalist asked him Sunday as to why he is adopting such an aggressive attitude, like one seen during a T20 game, Manohar corrected him. “No I am batting in the last five overs of a T20 game with an asking rate of over 20. But then that is the way I have to bat,” he stated.
Another measure that Manohar has promised to implement and which will ruffle many a feather in the BCCI is doing away with the ‘invitee’ representative of a committee, a policy that Srinivasan adopted to keep every affiliated unit happy. Manohar should be lauded as the various committee of the BCCI had people who basically were ‘a shame to the game’. Imagine being a member of the ‘media committee’ without possessing any knowledge about the print an electronic media.
The million dollar question, however is whether Manohar will last his full tenure after ruffling so many feather? Difficult to predict as of now.
