Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Cover-up operation will only make matter worse' that was published in Newsband

Cover-up operation will only make matter worse

The betting and spot-fixing scandal in the Indian Premier League (IPL) has disturbed all the cricket lovers in India. It is a shame that the Board of Control for Cricket in India has no control over the players. In fact, it is high time for BCCI to display their controlling power.

An investigation into these match fixing business led to revelation that there was no evidence that any of our players have done anything wrong. Is this a kind of cover-up attempt?

The thing is BCCI is itself suspected of being headed by corrupt individuals. If this is the case how can we expect the players to be clean?

Before probing into the dirty works done by the players, BCCI should first undergo self-scrutiny.

The BCCI takes shelter behind being a ‘private body’. But it should not forget that without the public support the game has, the BCCI could never have wielded the sort of clout it does in world cricket. Yet it seems to want to enjoy power without responsibility, particularly towards the game’s fans. It operates like a strictly private club, most of whose members appear to swear by a code of Omertà.

It is clear that the activities of the BCCI are controlled or rather manipulated by a few persons with a lot of political clout. They have the confidence that they can pull wires when needed and get out of any trouble whatsoever. The result is that the sports body is floating in a sea of corruption and misdeeds. Our government is watching these sordid developments but our government is itself being accused of corruption. How can we expect such a government to control BCCI? BCCI needs men of proven integrity, transparency and accountability but who will introduce these reforms?

The BCCI's actions seem to be reminiscent of that of the Church under the Pope in medieval times. BCCI, an institution which determines the fate of cricketers in India, now rather controls. This was always bound to happen. We live in a democracy that is entangled with corruption, corruption spreads like a disease, and this disease is affecting all major bodies in India.

BCCI should understand that it represents passion and love of a nation for a sports. The BCCI, by acting as representative of passion and love, should appreciate its responsibility to act in a manner which complies with idea of India and its democratic values.

This cover-up operation has left not an iota of doubt that BCCI least cares about India, its people and their love.