Kolkata Community Portal || Kolkata Community Portal - News, Reviews, Comments & Discussion

Sourav Ganguly Jumps Into Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) Election Cauldron

By Dr arvind, Section Sports & Fun
Posted on Fri Jul 11, 2008 at 05:40:47 AM EST

Threatens To Quit Bengal Team Over `Nasty Comments' On Family

With only 19 days remaining for the Cricket Association of Bengal elections, the battle between the two factions, led by Prasun Mukherjee and Jagmohan Dalmiya, took a new turn on Thursday with former India captain Sourav Ganguly throwing his hat into the ring.

Although not quite spelling it out, Ganguly hinted that he would like current president Prasun Mukherjee to remain at the helm, going to the extent of threatening to desert Bengal if the Dalmiya faction comes into power.

If the Mukherjee group is hoping to cash in on Sourav's comments, the Dalmiya faction also might feel that the veteran batsman's `poor timing' will be a boost for them in the upcoming elections.

``It's not about Dalmiya but about a few people in the CAB who have been making nasty comments about my father (Chandi Ganguly) and elder brother (former Bengal player and current assistant secretary Snehashis Ganguly). If this continues, I might be forced to contemplate quitting Bengal,'' Ganguly said on the sidelines of a programme at his residence on Thursday.

Even though Ganguly was quite subdued on Thursday, his recent tirade against Dalmiya has evoked sharp reaction in the CAB. Incidentally, before the 2006 CAB elections, Ganguly had sent an e-mail from England, blaming Dalmiya for his ouster from the national side. The Mukherjee faction had used it during their campaign against the then-ruling faction, led by Dalmiya. ``Obviously he has thrown his hat in the ring,'' Mukherjee said, quick to cash in on Sourav's comments.

Click on "Full Story" for more...

``How much it will help us is difficult to say but fans should know that if Dalmiya comes back, Sourav and other Bengal boys won't get a chance in the national team.''

Mukherjee also said that it was former BCCI joint secretary Gautam Dasgupta who had in the recent past tried to humiliate the Ganguly family after Snehashis' name was linked in the Rizwanuer controversy, an incident which led to Mukherjee's removal from the city police commissioner's post.

Mukherjee said: ``Sourav is hurt in the manner Dasgupta -- a trustee board member -- shot off a letter to Chandi Ganguly (trustee board chairman) demanding that his elder son Snehashis should step down from the assistant secretary's post. What business did Dasgupta have to do with the Rizwanur case?''

Dasgupta, however, stood by his letter to Chandi Ganguly. ``Snehashis should have quit on moral grounds. His name was dragged into a controversy which became a social issue. The fact that Chandida didn't answer to my queries proves that he agrees with my viewpoint,'' Dasgupta said.

However, CAB insiders feel that this issue won't have any affect on the voters. ``CAB election is not a Lok Sabha election. Here public sympathy hardly matters. It's about loyalty for Dalmiya or Mukherjee. Sourav's stand won't swing votes in favour of either sides,'' a staunch Dalmiya backer said.TNN

< BESU To Form New Governing Body, University Court, With The Status Of The IIEST | A Sergeant's Diary Against His Boss Suggests Something's Rotten In State of Traffic Guard >