Mumbai: According to an email, Lodha committee secretary Gopal Sankaranarayanan has accused the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selectors of seeking sexual favours, revealed The Indian Express.
In an email to board president Anurag Thakur, BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke complained about Sankarnarayanan’s comments, made at a meeting on August 9 between Lodha committee members and the Indian cricket board. The email points to allegations made by Sankarnarayanan that the BCCI were turning a blind eye to the corrupt practices of the selectors.
The email also claims that Sankarnarayanan waited till the end of the meeting to actually bring up this issue.
“The Secretary then started to address me and stated that there was large apathy in the BCCI, and spoke of the shocking manner that BCCI conducts its affairs and activities and he stated that the BCCI has been a mute spectator to what he said were corrupt practices rampantly prevalent in the BCCI,” wrote Shirke in his 14-point letter.
Shirke went on to describe how the secretary of the Lodha committee accused the selectors of seeking sexual favours from the parents of young cricketers.
He wrote: “He further made it appear as if this was a practice widely prevalent amongst cricket selectors and that the BCCI had not done anything in this regard. It was utterly wrong on the part of Mr Gopal Shankarnarayanan to paint all selectors as depraved and despicable human beings in this manner and then to allege that BCCI did not take any action against its selectors.”
However, Shirke says in his email that former judges present at the meeting interrupted Sankarnarayanan's statement at this point, putting an end to the matter.
The Lodha committee has proposed a number of changes to the BCCI’s administration. Despite these recommendations, the BCCI is set to go ahead with its Annual General Meeting (AGM), to be held on September 21. It is yet to be seen whether the Lodha committee gives validation to the AGM.
