Scindia tries to douse RCA fire but in vain

That Jyotiraditya Scindia is a man with an illustrious and impeccable lineage is a known fact. On Thursday, he proved he is much more than his inheritance.

At the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), he made a point or two about what can be expected of him in the years to come.
Even as the AGM was hearing the appeals of the two factions of the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA), the 38-year-old Scindia made a fervent appeal to the warring groups to patch up their differences.

According to members present at the AGM, the son of late Madhavrao Scindia, a former BCCI president, tried to convince the groups of the RCA about the need to get back to the table and work in unison for the betterment of the game.

The MPCA chief also appealed to the BCCI president Shashank Manohar to give them some time so that they can sort out their issues. It was a different issue, though, that Manohar chose not to take a chance and shifted the first ODI between India and Australia from Jaipur. It was scheduled to be held in the Pink city on October 25.

The AGM decision notwithstanding, Scindia tried to bring about a rapprochement between the groups, something seasoned politicians like Narendra Modi and Arun Jaitley, who were present at the meeting, did not feel necessary to do.

As per the RCA issue, the Board president allowed leaders of both the groups — Sanjay Dixit and Rajendra Singh Rathore — to attend the meeting pending a decision. “It’s a complicated matter and there was no judicial order. If there was to be a vote, we would have sealed their vote,” said the Board president.

After the AGM, Dixit put the blame on Lalit Modi, alleging the former RCA president was the man behind the trouble in the RCA. “It was his making. I was elected in an election ordered by the Supreme Court,” Dixit said.

But Modi refused to react to the charges. “It was sad that the match had to be shifted from Jaipur. The city has one of the best facilities in the country but the infighting has to led to the present situation. I hope Jaipur will get their match in the next series.” Modi, however, said he could understand the BCCI’s decision to shift the game.

“They are going to hold an election on October 14 and there would not be much time left after that for the October 25 match. I wish such a situation did not arise at all.”