Officials serve up another embarrassment at Kotla
December 6, 2015, New Delhi, DHNS
Spin legend Bishan Singh Bedi had to return from the doorsteps of Feroz Shah Kotla stadium after a function to felicitate the Delhi players from the World Cup winning teams of 1983 and 2011 alongside two former India captains was cancelled at the very last minute on Saturday.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia were to attend the ceremony, organised by the state government, and present the players with a shawl and a memento at 9 am before the start of the third day’s play of the fourth Test match between India and South Africa. But with the BCCI not allowing them the permission to hold the function on the field of play, the government decided to scrap the event. On their part DDCA offered one of the galleries for the function but the Kejriwal government did not budge.
The late pullout caused several former players to return midway while Bedi had to turn back from inside the premises of the stadium, putting the state government and the DDCA in an embarrassing position.
Those who were to be honoured were -- two former captains Bedi and the late Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, along with Kirti Azad, Madan Lal, Sunil Valson, Mohinder Amarnath, Virat Kohli, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Ashish Nehra. In a letter dated December 2 to DDCA treasurer Ravinder Manchanda, the Assistant Director of Education (Sport) Pradeep Tyagi had mentioned the list of the players to be felicitated besides asking “to allocate a suitable place” to organise the event.
“However, we were informed only yesterday (Friday) that the government wanted to hold the function where Virender Sehwag was felicitated. Rahul Mehra and Manish Sisodia had visited the stadium to give us the details. We gave them the option of holding the event at one of the galleries at the hill-side area, or bay area or photographers area, which are just outside the boundary rope of the ground, but they refused. We checked with BCCI if that would be allowed but we got a mail at 10 pm from Mr Anurag Thakur stating the function could not be held inside the field of play,” said one of the DDCA officials.
High Court appointed observer Justice Mukul Mudgal expressed his disappointment at the turn of events and said he did his best to convince the government officials. The entire episode already has been given a political colour keeping in mind the prevailing differences between the state government and the DDCA while Bedi led-NCT a body of former cricketers, has put it as a conspiracy by Thakur and Co.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia were to attend the ceremony, organised by the state government, and present the players with a shawl and a memento at 9 am before the start of the third day’s play of the fourth Test match between India and South Africa. But with the BCCI not allowing them the permission to hold the function on the field of play, the government decided to scrap the event. On their part DDCA offered one of the galleries for the function but the Kejriwal government did not budge.
The late pullout caused several former players to return midway while Bedi had to turn back from inside the premises of the stadium, putting the state government and the DDCA in an embarrassing position.
Those who were to be honoured were -- two former captains Bedi and the late Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, along with Kirti Azad, Madan Lal, Sunil Valson, Mohinder Amarnath, Virat Kohli, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Ashish Nehra. In a letter dated December 2 to DDCA treasurer Ravinder Manchanda, the Assistant Director of Education (Sport) Pradeep Tyagi had mentioned the list of the players to be felicitated besides asking “to allocate a suitable place” to organise the event.
“However, we were informed only yesterday (Friday) that the government wanted to hold the function where Virender Sehwag was felicitated. Rahul Mehra and Manish Sisodia had visited the stadium to give us the details. We gave them the option of holding the event at one of the galleries at the hill-side area, or bay area or photographers area, which are just outside the boundary rope of the ground, but they refused. We checked with BCCI if that would be allowed but we got a mail at 10 pm from Mr Anurag Thakur stating the function could not be held inside the field of play,” said one of the DDCA officials.
High Court appointed observer Justice Mukul Mudgal expressed his disappointment at the turn of events and said he did his best to convince the government officials. The entire episode already has been given a political colour keeping in mind the prevailing differences between the state government and the DDCA while Bedi led-NCT a body of former cricketers, has put it as a conspiracy by Thakur and Co.
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