Now, HP wants hand in sports

Suddenly, cricket’s top officials across the country find themselves under siege. Over the past six months three state governments &#15...

Suddenly, cricket’s top officials across the country find themselves under siege. Over the past six months three state governments — Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and now Himachal Pradesh — have moved to regulate sports bodies and their functioning.

And while these laws cover all sports, the prime target is clear: Cricket, cash-rich and full of potential. Significantly, the thinking runs across party lines: The three states have three different parties in power.

This latest episode in the long-running battle between sport and politics is the subject of our Sunday Story in Sportsline, in Section II of this paper. While the politicians say they want to democratise the working of sports bodies, the latter say it’s the money they are after.

The developments, and their implications, are expected to dominate discussions at the national Sports Ministers’ meet convened by Sunil Dutt in New Delhi on Wednesday.

The stories of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan are well-known; the UP Ordinance lapsed after six months and has not been renewed. In Rajasthan, the Assembly session that begins on Monday is expected to convert the ordinance into an Act. The latest to move in this direction is Himachal Pradesh, where the Congress-run state government plans to introduce a bill when the Assembly session begins on February 21. It’s likely to be similar to that in Rajasthan, in content and in primary target: The cash-rich Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA).

HPCA Anurag Thakur sees this as a nail in the coffin of sports bodies. ‘‘We are an autonomous body and not under state control. And this shouldn’t change. We are registered under the Societies Act.’’

Talk of autonomy brings in Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi, whose turf is directly affected.

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