No outsiders will represent state

If the Himachal Pradesh government acts on its plan, cricket in the state will undergo a fundamental change: Outsiders will not be allowed t...

If the Himachal Pradesh government acts on its plan, cricket in the state will undergo a fundamental change: Outsiders will not be allowed to represent the state at national-level tournaments. Though it appears to violate the right to freedom of employment it could, if pushed through, have wide-ranging ramifications for the sport and for the BCCI’s control over its development.

As reported in this paper, the government aims to introduce the HP Sports (Registration, Recommendation and Regulation of Association) Bill 2005 in the Assembly session beginning next Monday. It is similar to the Ordinance the Rajasthan government plans to make into law, with this one difference.

While the BCCI’s ‘Tournament Rules and Regulations 3(D)’ has made provisions for accommodating a maximum of three cricketers from other states, Himachal Pradesh Sports Minister Ram Lal Thakur today said the provision to bar players from outside the state has been included to safeguard the ‘‘interest’’ of HP sportspersons.

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‘‘Why should players from other states represent Himachal? They come here when they fail to get a chance to play for their home state’’, Thakur told The Indian Express.

The HPCA is headed by Anurag Thakur, son of former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal. Thakur is credited with turning the association into a cash-rich body, whose Ranji team is two steps away of making the Elite group. Much of this turnaround has been credited to the recruitment of players from outside.

When contacted, Thakur was indignant: ‘‘ We’ll seek legal recourse against the bill. I challenge Ram Lal Thakur to contest the HPCA elections.’’

Former Test player Vikram Rathore, a Punjab player who later played for, and captained, Himachal, says, ‘‘Getting class cricketers from other states is a big boost for the parent body. It brings in professionalism and evolves a competitive culture. Such restrictions won’t help.’’

The RJD’s key face and Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Tejashwi Yadav, party supremo Lalu Yadav’s son, will again contest from his stronghold Raghopur.

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The RJD, lead player of the Mahagathbandhan, released its full list of 143 candidates for the November Bihar Assembly elections. Its key face Tejashwi Yadav will contest from Raghopur, and 41 sitting MLAs have been renominated. The party has dropped 36 sitting MLAs and fielded young leaders, signaling a bid to consolidate its core Muslim-Yadav vote base. The Congress has fielded 60 candidates.

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