Former Karnataka State Cricket Association secretary Brijesh Patel refuted president Anil Kumble's allegations that he tried to stop the former leg-spinner from contesting the KSCA polls, saying he never attempted such a move.
"The dates Anil has mentioned are all dates after I had already announced that I am stepping aside to support Team Kumble; so where is the question of me thwarting his nomination?" he said, in a statement.
"Also, the dates he is mentioning were after the last date of nominations were completed and there were only two contestants for the post of president," Patel clarified.
According to the KSCA bylaws, for a Test cricketer to become a member, there used to be a two-year cooling off period (after retirement).
Kumble retired on November 2, 2008 and the elections were in 2010, but a Special General Meeting was called specifically to change that bylaw.
On January 17, 2010, the meeting was held stating that those cricketers who have played more than 50 Tests for India, when they retire, can immediately become members of KSCA.
Patel said it was under his tenure as secretary that a Special General Body Meeting was called to give membership to cricketers who played for more than 50 Tests.
In fact, Patel said as the Returning Officer of the 2010 KSCA elections, he had held Kumble's nomination valid and had rejected one of the member's representation raising the issue.
Patel said Kumble seems to be suffering from a bout of amnesia as all the office-bearers in the team he is backing in the forthcoming elections, including Sadanand Maiya and A V Jayaprakash, were all part of the managing committee during the said 12 years where he claimed there was no progress.
"As I understand, they are trying to back a team who has not contributed "anything" in the said 12 years and are trying
to remote-control the association without taking any responsibility," he alleged.
Patel alleged that Team Kumble's callous attitude was reflected at the KSCA Platinum Jubilee Celebrations.
Talking about his contribution to KSCA, Patel said he was never in the habit of bragging about his achievements in the last 12 years.
"Members know what has been my contribution to KSCA from my cricketing days to my administrative stint," he said.
Criticising Kumble, Patel said the present committee has been unable to get even a single square feet of land from the government.
"KSCA has acquired more than 100 acres of land for development of cricket across Karnataka wherever the present committee is claiming development. The present committee has been unable to get even a single square feet of land in spite of the fact that Anil Kumble was part of the ruling government," he said.
Patel said the KSCA needs the services of an event manager to make KPL a roaring success as the BCCI had done to hire IMG.
"Like IMG has been hired for IPL, KSCA also needed the services of an event manager to make the KPL a roaring success," he said.
Patel also argued that KSCA has earned substantial profit of more than Rs four crore in two years in spite of engaging the services of Sporting Frontiers as event manager.
"KPL was a property worth 50 crore which the present committee has killed," he alleged.
He said Kumble's claim that he was associated with Sporting Frontiers is an absolute lie and baseless allegation.
"Incidentally the present committee has engaged the services of an event manager who was a beneficiary of Rs 1.8 crore to execute an evening program of Platinum Jubilee which was a disaster," he alleged.
As far as the Akai sponsorship deal is concerned, Patel said the members of the then managing committee in 2007, including the current treasurer Tallam Venkatesh, J Abhiram and many others, are aware that he had supported the sponsorship.
"In fact I pleaded with the then committee that since Srinath had put in a lot of effort, the KSCA should go ahead with the Akai deal. Unfortunately quoting generation of excess income to the KSCA the committee members struck down the deal in favour of another sponsor," he added.
Image: Brijesh Patel
