The internal feud within the BCCI took an ugly turn on Monday with Board Secretary Anurag Thakur launching a stinging attack on ICC Chairman N Srinivasan, saying that he should actually share information on bookies with his own family members “whose involvement in betting has been proved”. A day after ICC issued an advisory to Thakur to stay away from suspected bookies, the BCCI secretary hit back at Srinivasan through an open letter in which he questioned the timing of the “counter offensive” initiated at the behest of the ICC Chairman.
Reports had said that BCCI was sent a letter by the ICC about Thakur being seen with an alleged bookie Karan Gilhotra in Chandigarh and the BJP MP’s office on Sunday issued a media release. “The BCCI has received intimation from the ICC ostensibly under your direction that I should keep away from one Mr. Karan Gilhotra who is a ‘suspected bookie’. The intimation further states that the information is unverified” Thakur said in a scathing letter to Srinivasan.
“I have earlier been Joint Secratry of the BCCI under your President-ship and I am now Secretary, BCCI. I only wish that you had shared the list of ‘unverified suspected bookies’ with me and other colleagues so that we could identify such persons and keep away from them. I have known this person, who has been active in political and cricketing activities in Punjab and adjacent states. I had no knowledge or any clue about his ‘activities as a suspected bookie’, he said.
Thakur said “it is curious that intimation about having known this ‘suspected bookie’ was brought to the ICC notice by your friend Mr. Neeraj Gunde. Mr. Neeraj Gunde incidentally is circulating to the media in Delhi the details of documents against your critics in the BCCI. He operates on your behalf”. He alleged that a procured complaint and an ICC advisory based on unverified information was issued on Srinivasan’s behest on the eve of the BCCI Working Committee meeting. It was intended to be a counter offensive since Srinivasan had not reconciled with my election as secretary BCCI.
“I would request at least now share with me or other colleagues in BCCI the list of suspected bookies in India so that we may keep away from them. You may also share this information with your family members whose involvement in betting has been proved,” he said. "Since the ICC advisory to me had been made in public I would be making this letter to you public," Thakur wrote in the letter addressed to Srinivasan on his BCCI letter-head.
It is understood that the matter was brought up in the BCCI Working Committee meeting in Kolkata on Sunday but President Jagmohan Dalmiya paid no heed to the ICC letter. Even though the ICC letter came under the name of CEO Dave Richardson, it was seen as the handiwork of Srinivasan. It was speculated that Dalmiya and company will not react on this letter but Thakur's remarks have stirred up a hornet's nest. The former BCCI supremo is also under-fire with the issue involving the contentious valuation of the India Cements-owned CSK franchise.
BCCI unlikely to discuss Thakur’s issue
The BCCI is unlikely to act on the ICC’s letter to its president Jagmohan Dalmiya in which it is alleged that Board Secretary Anurag Thakur was photographed with a suspected bookie during a function in Chandigarh. Media reports on Sunday claimed that BCCI was sent a letter by the ICC about Thakur being seen with an alleged bookie Karan Gilhotra but Thakur has not made any comments on the controversial issue. The media reports quoted from a letter by ICC CEO Dave Richardson about Thakur being seen with Gilhotra, the BCCI members are not paying heed to the issue as they feel, it is the handiwork of ICC Chairman N Srinivasan.
"Everyone knows who runs the ICC. Since skeletons of N Srinivasan run administration are tumbling out of the closet, the former president is trying to malign Thakur's image. There was absolutely no discussion at the working committee meeting and informally we all agree that Srinivasan is behind all this," a WC member, who was present on Sunday, said.
When asked if Dalmiya will act on this ICC letter, the source emphatically denied any such move. "Dalmiya and Thakur share a nice working relationship as they together ousted Srinivasan from his hot seat. Also we find it weird that just after CSK low price demerger was questioned, ICC came up with this letter," he said.
Cong demands probe against Thakur
Congress on Monday latched on to a report of BJP MP Anurag Thakur socialising with a suspected bookie to demand probe by an independent agency into the link between him, BCCI and the bookies. Party spokesperson Sushmita Dev told reporters that the International Cricket Council writing a letter to the Indian Cricket Board was a serious matter as Thakur is the BCCI Secretary. Another party spokesperson Tom Vadakkan, however, steered clear of questions over the Special Investigation Team (SIT) monitoring the probe into Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board or Vyapam scam telling the high court that the documents used by AICC general secretary Digvijaya Singh to target MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan are forged.