While Sourav Ganguly taking over as the new Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president is a good news for his fans, the veterans of the state association aren’t very happy about the latest development, according to reports.
The declaration was made by Mamata Banerjee on Friday in the presence of senior CAB officials and state government ministers at the secretariat building.
Everybody doesn’t seem to have gone down too well with some of the other long-serving members, including current treasurer Biswarup Dey, who was also viewed as a possible candidate for the top post.
“I don’t have anything to say on this. The Chief Minister has herself announced the mandate and I cannot comment on this further,” Dey said.
The sources also indicated that it was Dey who has been hit hard and lost a lot of ground by the move.
“Dey has given a lot to the CAB and it is obvious that he will not be happy with this decision but Ganguly had the CM’s backing and nobody can oppose Banerjee in Bengal,” a source close to the development said.
In a bid to stave off criticism of political interference in the affairs of the CAB, Banerjee said the decisions were taken by the CAB members.
“I have not taken the decisions. It is not my world, though I love sports. We are with them in their crisis as colleagues, friends,” she said.
Asked whether the state government had a role in the decisions, Banerjee said: “Don’t put such questions. I don’t want a controversy. I am nobody. It is they who have decided to be together in this crisis. They are all cricket lovers. I only communicated their decisions.”
Following the death of Dalmiya, Ganguly, who was holding the post of joint secretary in the CAB, was the frontrunner and the announcement seemed like a mere formality.
Except a 19-month hiatus between December 2006 and July 2008, Dalmiya held on to the CAB president’s post from 1993 till his death on Sunday.
