Chargesheet a ‘defensive move’ by rivals: Dalmiya

In an apparent reference to his presence in the February 26 special general meeting of the CAB, Dalmiya alleged he was being harassed whenever he got involved in cricketing matters in some capacity.

“They are trying to harass me. For the past few years, they are trying to prove I am guilty. But they have not succeeded,” he said.

Dalmiya alleged that his adversaries were going to ridiculous levels to settle scores with him.

“Whenever they have a feeling that I may stage a return, then either the police arrives from nowhere or some other thing is done to harrass me. This is uncalled for,” said the former ICC chief.

Dalmiya said “those who are doing all this are doing so with an ulterior motive. They have lost several court battles, but they lack the sportsman spirit to accept these defeats”.

The seasoned cricket administrator said an attempt was made to send him to jail in Mumbai during the day “but all along I was confident that they will not be able to do To a query from a scribe on whether he was willing to serve Bengal cricket again, Dalmiya replied “If Bengal cricket needs me, I’ll consider whether I can be of help”.

Expressing concern over the present condition of the game in the state, he said “Bengal cricket has given me a lot. But now I feel pained to see the fallign standards. This year, we were even relegated to the Plate division. We have to think of ways to arrest the downslide”.

Dalmiya found merit in state Sports Minister Subhas Chakraborty’s remark that when the Eden Gardens could be given to an Indian Premier League franchisee to stage matches, similar facilities should be extended to Indian Cricket League too.

“I don’t know exactly what he has said. But it appears quite logical to me. If you can let out Eden to one private organisation, then what is the harm in giving it to another one?” he said.