Hyderabad: Former Hyderabad Cricket Association president G Vinod Venkataswamy asked the association president Mohammed Azharuddin and the Apex Council members to end the differences and work together to resolve the issue.
Vinod also offered to mediate between the two parties to reach a common ground so that the functioning of association and the future of cricketers are not affected. Speaking to the media on Tuesday, he termed the incident at Gymkhana on Monday where police stopped the Apex Council members from entering the Gymkhana as ‘unfortunate’.
“HCA has a rich history and these incidents are tarnishing the image. Since the HCA has become financially strong, the differences started to appear. What happened yesterday at Gymkhana was unfortunate. How can police stop officials from entering the ground? It is time both the parties sat together and resolved the issue. If not, dissolve the body and go for fresh elections. We are ready to sit with both of them and resolve the matter,” he said.
On Azhar announcing the decision of ombudsman Deepak Verma’s ruling of suspending Apex Council members and Apex Council members suspending the president, Vinod said, “Both (Deepak Verma and Nissar Ahmed Kakru) are respected persons. We don’t want to drag them into the mess. Call for an AGM under any sitting or retired judge or Ombudsman and get things sorted. We can’t keep on going like this forever. It should not happen like what happened in the Jammu and Kashmir or Goa association where the BCCI had to intervene and take control of the association.”
Meanwhile, former secretary T Shesh Narayan termed the incident at Gymkhana as the black day in the history of HCA. “How can the president sit inside Gymkhana and stop Apex Council members outside the gate? How were the police involved in the matter in the first place? He can’t run the association like this. HCA is at the critical stage and I appeal to Deepak Verma to also see the other side. He has taken action on the basis of what Azhar told him. He needs to hear the other side as well. The president Azhar has to take more responsibility. Azhar is sending wrong signals with his actions. HCA doesn’t belong to any one. It belongs to all the 230 clubs. We can’t sit and see the image of the association being tarnished.”
Reacting to Azhar’s new appointments to the roles of vice president, secretary, treasurer and other posts on Tuesday, Shesh Narayan said, “Azhar’s actions defy logic and it is against the constitution. How can he appoint nominated members for the posts of office bearers? He himself can’t hold two posts. This is a dictatorship.”
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