Party frowns but Bengal Minister to put on Dalmiya shoes

Kolkata, Jan 16 (UNI) In a dramatic twist to the sports politics in the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), Sports Minister Subhas Chakravarty today announced his decision to contest election for the post of President of the state cricket body even as his party asked him not to go ahead.

''I have talked to the concerned people before taking the decision. Whoever says what, I have discussed with all,'' he told UNI over phone from Bangalore shortly after CPI(M) state Secretary Biman Basu said he had asked Mr Chakraborty not to contest.

It was learnt that Mr Chakravarty had talked to Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, his political mentor Jyoti Basu and Mr Biman Basu, also the Chairman of the ruling Left Front.

With Mr Chakraborty throwing his hat in the CAB ring, what makes the election curious is the fact that his opponent, city police Commissioner Prasun Mukherjee, is backed by Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

But categorically stating that CAB election was not the cup of tea for the CPI(M), Mr Basu told reporters that the party had all along maintained that party should not have a role in such exercises.

''I admit that Subhash Chakraborty rang me up from outside the state, saying he wants to contest as President of CAB. I told him no Subhash, you cannot,'' he told reporters in reply to a question.

Mr Basu said the CPI(M) was a party that functioned collectively and ''an individual cannot always do what he wants to do.'' The party, he said, would have to discuss the issue before Mr Chakraborty could put in his candidature.

However, Mr Chakravarty said his decision was ''final''.

Giving his reasons for contesting the poll, the maverick CPI(M) Minister, who is not known for having best of relationship with the Chief Minister, said injustice meted out to CAB had prompted him to take the decision.

''It is because of the injustice to CAB and the wrong doings of BCCI that I have taken the decision. It is only on the plea that they have problems with Jagmohan Dalmiya that the present BCCI bosses have allotted a single international match to Eden Gardens and are denying due funds to CAB. They have no right to do this,'' he said adding many sports lover had requested him to contest.

Mr Chakravarty also cited the example of injustice meted out to Sourav Ganguly, who was axed from the national side before the team management, who was forced to bring him back after the One-day debacle in South Africa.

However, sports circles believe that the sports minister, having had kicked up many a controversy within the government and his party in the past, is being backed by the Dalmiya camp, trying to put up a proxy war with the BCCI.

The election will be held on February one to fill the vacant post after former president Jagmohan Dalmiya resigned in accordance with the rule of BCCI following his expulsion from the country's apex cricket body.

Mr Prasun Mukherjee, who was defeated by only five votes by Mr Dalmiya in the last CAB election held on July 29, 2006, had already announced his candidature for the second time.

Disapproving any police official heading a sports body like CAB, Mr Chakraborty said in principle he was against any such eventuality.

''Though one or two police officials are heading sports organisations, such a trend will turn sports bodies into parallel police headquarters. This is another reason I want to put in my candidature,'' he said.

Though forbidding Mr Chakraborty to be in the CAB fray, the CPI(M) state Secretary, however, seemed to be by his side on this issue when he expressed his dissatisfaction over the recent happenings in the state over land acquisition and said police should be more ''proactive'' in maintaining law and order.

''CAB or no CAB I would ask police to be more proactive. How some recent incidents could take place when some people from outside the state started campaigning against us,'' he said in an apparent reference to social activist Medha Patkar.

UNI