Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association needs to disclose what it earned from IPL matches – Congress

Shimla: Congress today dared Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) to drag them to court over charges of the sports body being misused for political ends even as the party spokesman today reiterated that HPCA was functioning more as a frontal organization of BJP.

At a conference call congress spokesman, Kuldeep Rathore told reporters that there was an urgent need of laws governing sporting bodies as they had become fiefdoms of a chosen few who had never been associated with the sporting discipline they preside over.

He said that an unholy nexus between HPCA and Indian Premier League (IPL) with the backing of the state government was visible during the recently held two matches at Dharamshala. He asked HPCA to come clean and declare what amount had the body earned from holding the two matches at the new stadium.

“While undue favour was shown to Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman, in providing him services of the state helicopter,” said the congress spokesman adding, ‘the government was forced to convert the largesse bestowed into a paid flight after the congress raised the issue.”

He said that congress was not against cricket but against blatant commercialization of the sport. BJP is using the sport for political ends as was evident from holding T-20 matches just before the Lok Sabha elections just to promote the campaign of Anurag Thakur, the HPCA president who was the BJP candidate from Hamirpur. We even raised the issue with the election commission, he added.

Responding to a reported threat by HPCA members of dragging congress president Kaul Singh Thakur to court over allegations of misuse of the sporting body for political purposes, Rathore dared them to take up the issue legally. “Let them do so at the earliest, for it would provide an opportunity for judicial scrutiny into its functioning,” he said.

The congress spokesman said that IPL was purely a commercial venture and the government had bent rules to promote the event and spent unbudgeted Rs 3 crore on it.

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4 Comments

  1. says: Vijay

    I know Anurag Thakur (President of HPCA) is Prem Kumar Dhumal’s son. Just came to know that Vice President of HPCA is Arun Thakur. Is he Dhumal’s younger son ? Arun is Dhumal’s younger son but not sure if he is vice president of HPCA or not.

  2. says: Anil

    Yes, as per the announcement in the match, Arun Dhumal/Thakur who is brother of Anurag Thakur and son of Prem Kumar Dhumal is HPCA Vice President.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xo3eggym68

    SO once again we have a family affair!

    Wake up guys, dont let India become family business!

    What a shame on HPCA! Cant they find someone outside family?

  3. says: kuku

    hello,why you people are not putting question to those congress party leaders who hold HPCA control over 60 years.why they could not manage international cricket matches in himachal why so ? can you tell that how small shopkeepers taxi drivers,and others earns money during thsese matches ? how much toll tax collected at different entry toll tax barriers and so on ? why other people should include in the HPCA ? can you put this question to sonia and rajiv who are earning crores of rupees from indira trust,rajiv trust and other so many trusts ? one must stop all these discussions we should praise to anurag thakur,arun dhumal and prem kumar dhumal who dared to manage matches in himachal, i dont think they will remain 100 years master to control.

  4. says: Hemant

    mere bhaiyon kuch ni hoga agar congress or BjP ke bare me sochoge….sirf tum achha karna chahte ho is desh ke liye ye socho or is k liye kam karo…….politics kisi ki zageer nahi he….tum apne gaon se suroo karo ek din tum in sab polititions se upar uth jaoge…….sach ka sath do rules ko follow karo….kon tumhe galat kahega……ab b problem he to 9805147474 par sampark karo

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