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Journalism of Courage
HAD Jagmohan Dalmiya the club cricketer not zeroed in on his calling early in life, he would have been known as the most reliably deceptive asset on field in the death overs. Those droopy shoulders, slight built and schoolboy-like Brylcreemed hair mask a cold, clinical mind, mythologised in the Indian cricket world in tales of his ability to slip out an ace from up his safari suit half-sleeves at the last minute.
But today at Eden Gardens, where the Cricket Association of Bengal CAB elections are to be held, Dalmiya, 66, reaches the final stage of the most crucial test of his administrative career. With the odds stacked heavily against him, the outgoing president needs to be tighter than Glenn McGrath, wilier than Shane Warne and, maybe, even borrow a few tips from Bengal8217;s own P C Sorcar as his heavily ringed-hand rolls the final dice in this high-stakes board game.
On the Backfoot
JUST listing the problems Dalmiya faces even before he takes on Kolkata Police Commissioner Prasun Mukherjee for the final round can trigger a headache: CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharya8217;s snub, ex-CM Jyoti Basu8217;s cold shoulder, Sourav Ganguly8217;s e-mail blow, Rs 40 crore-fraud FIR, BCCI suspension, impending disciplinary hearing, political pressure on his CAB supporters8212;Aspirins, anyone?
Perhaps even more worryingly, present and former Dalmiya men seem to be sceptical about the chances of the man who, famously, never ended up on the losing side in an election till Maratha strongman Sharad Pawar beat his nominee Ranbir Singh Mahendra in November 2005 to become chief of the Board of Control for Cricket in India BCCI.
Old BCCI hand Kishore Rungta, unseated by Indian cricket8217;s new dispensation in Rajasthan, remembers how the Marwari businessman from Kolkata raised a furore at Lord8217;s to win the World Cup for South Asia in 1987. In a bid to end Australia and England8217;s veto power at the International Cricket Council ICC, Dalmiya said, 8216;8216;I had heard that England used to rule the waves but now I realise they waive the rules.8217;8217;
Just a couple of days before the CAB elections, as Dalmiya faces similar charges8212;ruling the waves once and waiving the rules later8212;Rungta is guarded in defending his one-time brother-in-arms. He describes Dalmiya as a 8216;8216;spotless8217;8217; administrator so far as his various dealings are concerned, a survivor of probes by CBI, IT, FERA, BCCI et al.
But ask him about the Rs 40 crore PILCOM account case, and all Rungta says is, 8216;8216;Satyam Shivam Sundaram8217;8217;. Press him further, and he says, 8216;8216;As a cricket administrator, I can8217;t back anybody who has cheated on money that was generated from the game and was meant for the game.8217;8217;
Down but not Out
TRUST former BCCI secretary Jaywant Lele, close to Dalmiya for more than a decade, not to mince his words. 8216;8216;The entry of politicians has spoiled the atmosphere of the board. Vindictiveness has crept in. But all this is a passing phase. Bitter election campaigns aren8217;t new but at the end of it rivals used to shake their hands and wish the winner well,8217;8217; he says.
When it comes to the charges of financial irregularities against his former boss, Lele shows that he hasn8217;t lost his touch. 8216;8216;If Dalmiya goes to jail for even a day, do you think it will be good for the image of the game?8217;8217; he asks.
Certainly it wouldn8217;t. Nor would it be good for Dalmiya, who has trudged a long and winding road, from being the CAB treasurer in 1978 to become the ICC president in 1997.
If the rise was gradual, the fall has been sudden. Last November, he lost his control over the BCCI and now he fights an election that might reduce him to a cricketing non-entity. As president of the Rajasthan Club8212;an obscure Kolkata First Division side, where his position is unthreatened8212;the only official perk he can enjoy is a couple of complimentary passes for an international game at Eden Gardens.
But even members of the Pawar camp don8217;t dare right now to contemplate a scenario where Dalmiya will have to queue up to enter Eden Gardens. A recent recruit, talking on conditions of anonymity, stresses the importance of today8217;s contest: 8216;8216;If he can win this election, he will come out stronger. And mind you, Dalmiya never forgets a favour or an offence. He will take his time and settle all scores.8217;8217;
There are others in the Pawar camp who cannot wish away the veteran administrator. Unable to decide whether Dalmiya is best described as a clever administrator or a master manipulator, a senior vice-president in the present regime says, 8216;8216;He8217;s A great organiser who, unlike the majority of cricket officials, also understood the intricacies of the game8230; he was very dynamic and gave a lot of time for the game.8217;8217;
And then he adds, 8216;8216;But he never ever listened to anybody, what he felt was right had to be the truth.8217;8217;
Spin Doctor
HIS autocratic style made him lose friends8212;present BCCI vice-president I S Bindra is the obvious example8212;but it also helped Dalmiya streamline Indian cricket. For instance, it allowed him to open the skies for the Hero Cup in 8217;94, ending Doordarshan monopoly over cricket telecasts. The high quality production values that characterise today8217;s matches on TV are a direct fallout of his initiatives.
As ICC president, Dalmiya pressed for globalisation and a fatter bank balance for the international cricket body. But he also had to face charges of turning a blind eye to the sordid drama of match-fixing. Finding it tough to give a tag to the ICC president, a confused English media opted to call him 8216;Mr Dalmaya8217;.
Through thick and thin, adulation and acrimony, though, Kolkata stayed loyal to the man it thought was building up Eden Gardens to take on Lord8217;s. Attitudes began to shift in November last year, when the city saw Pawar take charge of the BCCI at close quarters. Political interference and the Ganguly clan8217;s flip-flops have made matters worse for Dalmiya.
The changing power equation is evident as you enter the CAB office and climb the staircase leading to Dalmiya8217;s chamber. There, on one wall, is a poster of the 1989-90 Bengal Ranji winning squad8212;a frame that Dalmiya often turned to admire while talking about his undying passion for the game and the Class of 8217;89. Among that smiling bunch with the silver trophy are Sourav and Snehashish Ganguly, Raja Venkat, Palash Nandi, Rajesh Dani, Sambaran Banerjee.
They all were his boys in 8217;89. Today, they all belong to the rival camp, keen to see him out of office.
Cover Drive
BUT don8217;t expect Dalmiya to shed a tear as he walks past the frame today. 8216;8216;Never ever does he get hassled. He never leaves anything to chance; nor does he have much faith in fate,8217;8217; loyalist Lele describes Dalmiya8217;s match-day temperament. 8216;8216;My guess is that if he wasn8217;t sure of the outcome of Sunday8217;s elections, he wouldn8217;t have contested.8217;8217;
Sceptics8212;and they are in the majority today8212;attribute Lele8217;s optimism to his long association with Dalmiya, insisting that he has bitten off more than he can chew.
To that Lele retorts, 8216;8216;See, Dalmiya-loyalists have no option but to stay quiet right now. They will wait for three years, when Pawar8217;s tenure ends. Then it is Central Zone8217;s turn to have a president. There will be a shake-up again. Other than Dalmiya, there is no one who has the charisma to muster support. But, of course, Dalmiya has to first come out of this mess.8217;8217;
But as Dalmiya takes guard for what could be the final ball, he certainly requires more than 11 fielders to guard the fence. An old maidan saying, however, makes the contest interesting: Like cricket8217;s many glorious uncertainties, there happens to be one surrounding Dalmiya on election day.
8212; With Nadim Siraj in Kolkata
S K Nair: Kerala Cricket Association president and former BCCI secretary. The public face of the BCCI, helped draw focus away from Kolkata.
Brijesh Patel: Karnataka State Cricket Association secretary and former National Cricket Academy director. In charge of Dalmiya8217;s operations in the south.
Kishore Rungta: Former BCCI treasurer and former secretary of the Rajasthan Cricket Association. Dalmiya8217;s accounts expert till Bajpai took over.
Goutam Dasgupta: CAB treasurer and former BCCI joint-secretary. Close to Dalmiya, said to have been the source of many news 8216;leaks8217;
Jyoti Bajpai: Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association secretary and former BCCI treasurer and joint-secretary. Low-profile, Dalmiya8217;s right-hand man on the money front.
Anurag Thakur: Recently back as Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association chief. Dalmiya8217;s key man at the International Cricket Council meetings in London.
Ranbir Singh Mahendra: Former president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India and Haryana politician. Dalmiya8217;s dummy candidate for president in 2004. Beat Sharad Pawar on Dalmiya8217;s casting vote that year, then Pawar paid him back in the same coin the next year.
8212; Nadim Siraj
ABC of CAB
The Cricket Association of Bengal elections to be held at the B C Roy Club House at Eden Gardens today will be the first time in 30 years that two full panels take on each other. The CAB8217;s last high-voltage polls took place in 1978 when Dalmiya entered the association as treasurer, his panel ousting then heavyweight Amar Ghosh. Here8217;s a quick rundown:
King vs COP
8226; CAB president Jagmohan Dalmiya vs Kolkata Police Commissioner Prasun Mukherjee, who has the backing of West Bengal CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, the Sharad Pawar-led BCCI and the Ganguly family.
118 votes
8226; 18 districts: Dalmiya has nearly half of these votes in his kitty.
8226; 8 universities and state office sports federation: The anti-Dalmiya camp holds all cards.
8226; 36 Div 1 clubs: Dalmiya is said to have the backing of 20.
8226; 55 Div 2 clubs: This group holds the key because nearly 20 are seen as floating votes.
2 PANELS
8226; President: Jagmohan Dalmiya. Two joint-secretaries: Saradindu Pal and Amitava Banerjee. Three vice-presidents: Russi Jeejeebhoy, Ashit Chatterjee and Suhas Chandra Basu. Treasurer: S K Kalyani.
8226; President: Prasun Mukherjee. Two joint-secretaries: Samar Pal, Raja Venkat. Four vice-presidents: Utpal Ganguly, Indranath Dey, Subhasish Sarkar and Nimai Dutta. Treasurer: Tushar Sarkar.
8212;Nadim Siraj
THE RISE, RISE AND FALL
1978: Dalmiya becomes CAB treasurer; mentor Biswanath Dutt takes over as president 1979: Attends first BCCI meeting as CAB treasurer 1981: Becomes CAB secretary as his influence in BCCI increases 1983: Handed over BCCI pursestrings as he becomes treasurer 1987: Along with I S Bindra as president, brings World Cup out of England for the first time ever to the sub-continent 1990: Becomes BCCI secretary after successful 1987 World Cup 1991: Helps resuscitate South Africa8217;s return to international cricket with India invite. Also becomes Asian Cricket Council8217;s secretary 1993: After 12-hour discussion, gets World Cup to the sub-continent again. Re-elected BCCI secretary, retains post for four years 1996: World Cup fetches record profit of 26 million pounds. Figures in BBC8217;s list of world8217;s top six sports executives. Wins ICC president8217;s election 25-13 but is blocked as he fails get two-third majority of Test-playing nations 1997: Unanimously elected ICC president and stays in charge of world cricket till 2000 2000: Leaves ICC amidst bitter TV rights row 2001: Elected BCCI president after a bloodless coup in Chennai overthrows M C Muthiah. Stays at helm till 2004 2004: Thwarts Sharad Pawar8217;s entry into BCCI as his candidate Ranbir Singh Mahendra wins by a thin margin. BCCI passes resolution to make him patron-in-chief, but court stays appointment 2005: Gets International Journal of the History of Sports Achievement award for administrative excellence in global sport. But Mahendra loses to Pawar 2006: Amid allegations of financial irregularities, fighting BCCI suspension, Dalmiya tries to stay afloat as CAB president
