Blowing the whistle

His name was not very well known outside sporting circles in Delhi and Kashmir, his home state. But by raising the banner of revolt against ...

His name was not very well known outside sporting circles in Delhi and Kashmir, his home state. But by raising the banner of revolt against his one-time mentor KPS Gill, Narinder Batra, vice-president of the Indian Hockey Federation, has ensured a place in the headlines.

In the past fortnight Batra has twice issued strong statements criticising the working of the IHF and calling for the resignation of Gill and his Man Friday, IHF secretary Jothikumaran.

8216;8216;The situation is such that the equation is simple: if you want to be humiliated, you are welcome to join the IHF8217;8217;, Batra told The Sunday Express. 8216;8216;Neither I, nor several of the other members of the executive committee, have any idea on how the IHF works, nor do we care anymore. But recent statements by Gill forced me to take up this issue before I go out.8217;8217;

His specific objection to Gill, as stated at his press conference last week, was that the federation chief had violated government guidelines by holding office for more than two terms or eight years. A bit late in the day, one might think, given that gill is in his 11th year as IHF chief. Batra8217;s excuse: he was unaware, till recently, of the guidelines.

8216;8216;I know that is no excuse8217;8217;, he says, 8216;8216;since these guidelines have been in existence since 1976. But a copy of the guidelines was given to the president and the secretary, they did not pass it on to the other office-bearers.8217;8217;

He then comes out with his 8216;8216;main reason8217;8217; for the outburst: the 8216;8216;insult8217;8217; to India8217;s Olympians. 8216;8216;It is not easy to become an Olympian. It takes years of hard work to reach that level. And no one has the right to insult them the way Gill did recently.8217;8217;

It8217;s all a long way from the very cosy relationship Messrs Gill and Batra have shared for the better part of a decade. Batra8217;s association with hockey goes back to the JKHA, where he was the president he claims to have represented J038;K at the national s.

Under his tenure, the state hosted the senior nationals at Jammu in 2000, the last time the tournament was held. He was also instrumental in getting the first-ever astroturf being laid in the state at the Hakku Stadium.

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Scion of a wealthy industrialist-landowning family 8212; which owns, among others, Hotline and Sunflame appliances, a well-known, eponymous hospital in Delhi, stakes in five-star hotels and vast amounts of property in J038;K 8212; Batra laid out the red carpet for hockey. The qualifying tournament prior to the Jammu Nationals was staged at six centres and funded by the JKHA.

When star striker Jugraj Singh was injured in 2003, a lengthy part of his treatment was gratis at Delhi8217;s Batra Hospital. Ironically, that8217;s one of the issues he8217;s taken up with the IHF: he8217;s demanded an account of the money the IHF received from the government for Jugraj8217;s treatment, given that part of it was free.

At the last IHF elections, in 2002, Batra 8212; who has also been involved in cricket, with both the JKCA and the DDCA, and has been a BCCI observer for ODIs 8212; was handpicked by Gill to become vice-president. Since then, he8217;d been at Gill8217;s side at most public occasions in the capital, developing a reputation as a trusted aide.

All the more reason to believe that this is one thorn in Gill8217;s side that can8217;t be wished away. If Batra wishes for a scrap, and shows the stomach for it, Gill may at last be faced with an opponent of some might.