BCCI may have dropped his name from the list of former cricketers who will get
one-time benefit payment but a defiant Kirti Azad on Wednesday said that
he will not stop from raising his voice against the Indian Premier
League and the Board.According to sources, the BCCI scratched the name of Azad from the list of beneficiaries for the one-time payment following his fast at the Feroze
Shah Kotla ground in protest against the alleged financial
irregularities in the IPL.There is no official word from the BCCI yet on this issue.Azad said he has not been contacted by the BCCI on whether his name has been removed from the list."I have not received any intimation from the BCCI so far. Neither has anyone contacted me," he told a news agency.Asked
if he would accept the one-time payment if the Board decides to give it
to him, Azad said, "The question of acceptance or refusal of the
payment arises only when they get in touch me.” "But
if they think that they can stop me from raising my voice by doing
that, then they are wrong," said Azad, one of the members of the 1983
World Cup winning team and now a Bharatiya Janata Party Member of
Parliament.Azad, who is to get Rs 35 lakh under the BCCI scheme, said he will continue protesting against the IPL and the Board.
The skeletons of IPL have been coming out in the open and I will continue
protesting whenever I see any kind of wrongdoings," he said.Azad was non-committal when asked whether he was getting monthly pension from the BCCI as a former cricketer."I
am not aware if I am getting the pension or not. I have to ask my
charter accountant as to whether I have been getting my pension. I am
not aware," he said.Azad
said he has written a letter to Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to
take action against IPL for various financial irregularities"I
have already written a letter to Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee
asking what action the government intend to take on the allegations of
money laundering, tax evasion, foreign exchange violation by the IPL,"
he said.
Amid charges of black money playing a part in the IPL, Sports Ministry has asked the Finance Ministry to order an expeditious probe into it. Two days back in Parliament Sports Minister Ajay Maken told the Lok Sabha on Monday that the Sports Secretary has written a letter last week in this regard to the Revenue Secretary and has sought the inquiry to be conducted in an expeditious manner by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Income Tax Department.Maken said that 19 notices have been issued to IPL and BCCI for FEMA violations to the tune of Rs 1,077 crore and Sports Ministry Joint Secretary has also written a letter to the ED on May 17 seeking expeditious probe into the matter The Sports Minister was responding to an issue raised by former cricketer Kirti Azad of BJP, who made a strong pitch for a special audit by independent people into the conduct of the BCCI and other concerned sports organisations which were registered.Maken also made a strong pitch for bringing the BCCI under Right to Information, saying the Central Information Commission was hearing the issue.
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