The faction feud within the All India Chess Federation has intensified after the Federation President PR Venketarama Raja formed a three-member committee to oversee the AICF elections in Ahmedabad on February 9. AICF secretary Bharat Singh Chauhan has accused Raja of misusing his power and asked him to refrain from taking such arbitrary actions.
In a letter dated January 3, Chauhan has hit back at Raja, saying, “We are surprised and shocked to receive your so called office order allegedly forming a three member committee to administer the affairs of the Federation till the elections are conducted on 09/02/2020 at Ahmedabad. This is a blatant abuse of your office, in no case you have the authority to take away powers and authorities of other 14 elected members of AICF. We would also like to bring forward your conduct in past three months, wherein you have issued following orders/decisions under Article 15 of the byelaws of the Federation.”
Chauhan has listed a series of actions, which he feels, were arbitrary taken by Raja in gross misuse of his power.
Among these are Raja’s decision to appoint an enquiry committee on the complaint of Grandmaster Dibyendu Barua without consulting the AICF secretary. Chauhan has also criticized Raja for not including him in the committee despite AICF constitution clearly stating that the Secretary has to be part of any such committee. Chauhan has also accused Raja of unilaterally cancelling the Central Council meeting called by him on December 22. Chauhan has also question Raja’s decision to serve on him a show cause notice on “flimsy” charges.
“All above orders/decisions have ipso facto become illegal on their own. It is also not out place to mention that many of your orders/decisions have already been rejected by GB (General Body) and CC (Central Council).As per the byelaws, you are required to use these powers in exception and only in emergency, but you started misusing the provision for trivial, small and for almost everything. It is expected from you not to use byelaws for your ulterior motive. Thus, with this communication we would request you to desist from sending such order/decision in future,” Chauhan writes.
The AICF is in turmoil mainly over corruption charges leveled by Arjuna Aawardee Dibyendu Barua against West Bengal Chess Association secretary Atanu Lahiri. After a three-member committee of the AICF set up by the Federation President and, opposed both by Barua and AICF secretary, gave a clean chit to Lahiri, the sports ministry discovered a major scandal involving Lahiri. Lahiri had submitted a fake utilization certificate of national sub junior championship and the signature of the chartered account was forged. The CA himself gave this in writing.
In the backdrop of this, the AICF held a special/urgent meeting of office bearers and state associations in Bhopal on December 28 in the presence of sports ministry observers.
After the meeting, AICF treasurer Kishor Bandrekar issued a press release alleging that Federation Secretary Bharat Singh Chauhan snatched mikes and spoke on issues outside the agenda and was lustily cheered by his “rowdy” supporters.
Bandrekar claimed that the AICF President didn’t allow Chauhan to discuss any other item and concluded the meeting after the West Bengal issue was taken up. Bandrekar claimed that Lahiri accused Barua and Chauhan of leveling frivolous charges against him and revealed that he had filed criminal defamation case against them.
On January 2, AICF joint secretary Naresh Sharma, who is also general secretary of the Haryana Chess Association, slammed the Federation Treasurer Kishor Bandrekar, who belongs to the Raja faction, accusing him of misrepresenting the outcome of the above meeting.
Sharma said the statement issued by Bandrekar is misleading and far from the truth. He said the President did not object to the proceedings in any manner whatsoever. “The Hon Secretary briefed the members present and the snatching of the mike as alleged by the treasurer did not happen at all. The President only left after all the points were discussed by the members present,” Sharma said.
Sharma claimed that only Vice President DV Sundar tried to suppress the democratic open discussion of the constituent members and their representatives, by exclaiming “Shut up; what do you know?”
There was no slogan by members present and the members only expressed their strong feelings about the various matters.