Chance to Clean Cricket & Connectivity (Supreme Court directive to Sunil Gavaskar)

Thanks to Supreme court for asking Sunil Gavaskar to take over to clean the game. Gavaskar who has the record and courage to face bouncers on the field during his cricket tenure has a strong secular moral record outside the field in Public.( It is on media records that Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar had to come out on streets to save Muslims  getting attacked in his apartment block during 2002 communal riots .) Some critiques quote Gavaskar parking illegal 15000 usd in his gym locker in year 2001, but he was honest to admit this mistake.

The tenure of Mr. Shivlal Yadav and Mr. Gavaskar, however brief like Delhi-49 days AAP Government, it shall be an opportunity to clean up the BCCI’s affairs.Like AK-49 days Sarkar it is another opportunity for Public to enjoy the game and to see how Gavaskar handles the Corruption pressures.By disclosing his honest interest in advance — that he had a contract as a commentator with the BCCI –India`s best opening batsman has got off the mark with a touch of accountability and a class. For a corruption free Cricket administration, Gavaskar needs to bring in his old field qualities — the courage to evade a barrage of bouncers, the guts to carry on without the protection of a helmet and the instinct to know where the ball shall come, where the fielder is and where his stump is.

Captain M.S. Dhoni who was tainted and nor spared was driven by obvious conflict of interest, joined the chorus before the Supreme Court-appointed Mukul Mudgal Committee that Gurunath Meiyappan was not the owner or principal of CSK, but only a cricketing enthusiast.

All stakeholders with a sportsmen spirit must accept the blame for the Cricket reaching such a shameful climax that the country’s highest court has had to intervene and make arrangements to run cricket without a taint or suspicion. The Board in the past displayed fear and doubts in implementing anti-corruption transparent measures and failed to act on the evidences of spot fixing.

Supreme Court order asking the former Indian cricket captain Sunil Gavaskar as interim head of the Board of Control for Cricket in India to manage the bad affairs of the Indian Premier League this year is cheered by players, administrators, stakeholders and fans alike. Removal of N. Srinivasan, who had refused to step down as president of the Board despite his position getting over and outdated long ago is the happy outcome. The judgement also addresses the conflict of interest between Mr. Srinivasan’s double role of a franchise and as head of the national cricket body. Court has directed that none associated with India Cements should be part of the BCCI. Two former Test cricketers — Shivlal Yadav and Sunil Gavaskar will discharge the BCCI president’s functions. Gavaskar, role will be limited to IPL operations this year. Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, the two franchises who were dragged in the scandal, will stay in the tournament.

In Cricket the public pressure, transparency and participation of both rich-poor shall never allow the game to die. With right to recall the old players and Managers driven by hidden business interests shall get replaced. Millions hope Supreme Court tries to rescue and clean with same speed the hidden Cricket played by Politicians-Corporate nexus in India.BCCI  with its Member State Associations are controlled by various traditional politicians such as Sharad Pawar, Farooq Abdullah, Rajiv Shukla, CP Joshi, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Arun Jaitley, Narindra Modi, Anurag Thakur, and others who have, over the decades, have manipulating & handpicking members of their Electoral College and under the excuse of holding “honorary posts” have made Cricket as their personnel hen who lays golden eggs. Time has come when Indian cricket bodies need to be restructured in order to clean them.

Media stories are flooded with sports scam and how Indian athletics were not allowed to participate in London Olympics-2012.For more details see my article in the same columns title-STOP CORPORATE MATCH FIXING : APPLY CRICKET SWARAJ.My appeal & article in these columns is to rescue Cricket from billionaires club and bring it to the Public Domain which needs 100% attention. Need of the hour to make BCCI accountable to Public needs a pending sports bill called Khelpal.

In cricket as a popular sport thanks to transparency and collective pressure put up by rich and poor audience the score board cannot be hidden. This game still has fair rules. It remains more transparent then the `political cricket` played by billionaires in the production units and factories. During Production the score board in the factories indicating fixed audit is tempered and manipulated to ease out black money to Tax Havens.

There are still experts who say there is no `honest rules` in any form of organisation from Cricket to Politics- due to no Pressure of Public. For a safe job, safe sport ,safe terror free market, safe work, safe team, safe nation and for a safe contest a transparent sharing of all money matters and wealth distribution plan by responsible stakeholders is essential. Games hold the connecting spirit and role model of any country.

It is time to change the country holistically from Cricket to Governance.

Battle To Search Truth In Army Must Continue-By : Rakesh Manchanda

Hidden Casualty In Army Chief `s Age War

or

Army Chief Age Row: Truth with 2 Face

(Battle To Search Truth Must Continue).

By: Rakesh Manchanda.

Casualty of “truth” in the big battle between law and logic for a correct date of birth of the Army Chief remains hidden. Can truth, army discipline, promotion procedure, speculative line of army chief succession and input of personnel identity have different logic? Unfortunately, truth continues to have 2 faces. First, truth is based on conventional media stories fired by politically powerful ministries with its potential for coercion in the name of `discipline’. Second face of Truth remains a weak participatory team in the ministry inquiring with the potential of a `lever` for improving the quality of army life but trained to obey the superiors. Such teams in the Defence Ministry are responsible to store the correct date of birth & identity of an employee to preserve his self dignity and honour which at times get compromised.

Gen V K Singh birth certificate date correction in spite of open evidences has been refused by defence ministry, Law ministry, AGI and now Supreme Court perhaps to safeguard the old feudal systems in Army under the weak excuse called “discipline”. Supreme Court on Friday hearing refused to accept the date of birth correction plea, pointing out that the Army Chief, who accepted the government’s decision in determining his date of birth as May 10, 1950 on three occasions, could not go back on his past commitment. His petition was disposed of as he accepted the option given to him to withdrawn. This is painted now by media as a `Beating Retreat`. This counselling by Supreme Court also exposes the limitation of the judges as individuals outsourced to settle disputes based on the limited evidences which got precipitated due to poor participatory environment in the defence ministry. Supreme Court while refusing judgement on this issue comments, “We understand your (VK Singh) pain, but you yourself (as a junior in the past) left the final decision to authorities”. It is clear the judges felt the pain of the disjoint system in the Defence ministry that keep records of the army personals but missed the opportunity perhaps in absence of evidences to reunite the honest and down to earth Defence Minister and the serving General in the Army who is known for his anti-graft crusade in Army.

Whistle blowing by General VK Singh in the faulty army systems needs a civilian 100% support and salute. Army Chief may have lost the “age war” but the combat for future systems must go on. The general dared to split open selective identity issues in the administrative systems in the Army which forces to follow seniors blindly but ignore the truth. In the past as documented well by the media, VK Singh was forced to accept the verdict of his seniors in the army who advised him to chill up & wait patiently but at the same time he was asked to acknowledge the separate file for anticipating promotions displaying his false date of birth. Closed door issue about correction in data entry was forcefully dragged on. When VK Singh became chief of Army he exercised his right to reach Supreme Court to expose the old feudal system based on obeying the senior in spite of false facts based on his date of birth. System now stands weak with promotions in Army based on age and not on merit. This faulty system which has been the bedrock of Indian Army under the mask of arm twisting discipline needs to be changed with dignity.

Army, in a democratic state like India, is well known for its impartial secular services in serving civilians during crisis like floods, terrorist attack, earthquake and so on. Delay on such petty error which has now been magnified and has challenged the weak systems and refusal of judgment by law makers, law executers and law enforcing agencies shows weak face of Governance. People as law abiders need fast justice driven by truth but the speed and the direction of the truth needs correction. The seeds of justice need to re-sown in the Defence ministry itself via general bodies and correct participation of data monitors in time. When this participatory process is never done the seed for justice remain to be outsourced by the Supreme court counselling who cannot manufacture data and evidences but can only cater justice based on the limited perceptions and documents carried forward to them.
Outside the Indian army the report card of government work inspectors is worst. Indian corporate and middle level business houses continue to engage employees, consultants & partners without valid work contracts treating employees as invisible fodder in their personnel endeavour for more profits. Outside army the law enforcement is very weak. Army as role model is the “take away” of Public interest in this conflict. Common Man cannot even dream of Supreme Court settling his conflicts. India needs an overall redresser and reform of work systems which at present ridicules the image of Team India. Both Defence minister and General must close this issue of Date of Birth as a `default fruit` of Bad Governance. They must holistically collect new seeds of future justice in work systems for better India and for a participatory Republic. Only in-house participation to sustain the hidden truth can help avoid the dispute over the bad fruit again in future. Media stories are flooded with different trajectories of truth as put forward by several army officers. It is said that as the General’s objections to European Consortium Fighter plane deal due to cost/performance superiority of the French Rafael harmed Italian interests, the Government found a way to ease him out. However, it is 50-50 now. Rafael has won the bid and the honorable SC has disposed the case effectively in favour of 1950. Many including Col. Shivraj a crusader against old systems in India are  concerned  about how the meek and modest truth shall get “rescued” after this Ceasefire. Fact remains that a soldier on joining the Defence, loses his Fundamental Rights given by the Constitution to unite or to form an association to address his work grievances. It is incumbent on the country to ensure that the Defence Force “spirit” is not neglected by politicians listening favourably to bureaucrats.

There cannot be two seeds for a single fruit called truth. To bury grief and to pug the mistrust deficit, there is a need to cheer up by sowing a “participatory seed” in the Defence Ministry for a better Civil-Uniform solidarity. “Discipline” in the army must get modernised first. An army with a modern mind shall emerge more strong. Command in the Defence Forces is controlled not by a salary but by a commitment to the country to safeguard its sovereignty. Absolute faith and trust in the chain of command makes the fighting forces unique. This “do-or-die-never-ask-why” spirit of a soldier appears to be misused by the “babus” to retain their superiority A society grows wise when honest boys plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in. Shade today is getting more valuable then fruits as a safe resource for future generations to use.

Written in Public Interest as recommended by several Defence Personnel:

Rakesh Manchanda,

B-5,Gharonda Apartments,

Shrestha Vihar,Delhi-92.

Phone:011-22145369,00919560630404.

rakeshmanchanda65@gmail.com

Two selected Feedback received by friends in India from Armed Forces are as under :

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Radha Raman Gupta <pysrrg@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Feb 16, 2012 at 11:01 AM
Subject: Re: Army Chief Age Row: Truth with 2 Face…..Request to Wing commander Gupta to approve this article & suggest.
To: Rakesh Manchanda <rakeshmanchanda65@gmail.com>

Dear Rakesh Ji,

In one of the numerous news reports, I read that according to VKS’s DOB as May 1951 on his matriculation certificate he would have been under-age for commission in Army, his father- then a Major, submitted a document claiming the DOB as May 1950 to ensure eligibility. (In those days, words were trusted. In 1957 my DOB given as 01 Feb 1957 and qualification as “Passed 10th Class Promotion Examination” given on a letter head by my father as a Principal of a Govt Higher Secondary School, were accepted by Air Force Recruiting Office. No questions asked. By the time my Higher Secondary Board Examination certificate arrived, I has already completed one year in Air Force). Hence all the confusion about 1950 and 1951.

It is said that as the General’s objections to European Consortium Fighter plane deal due to cost/performance superiority of the French Rafael harmed Italian interests, the Government found a way to ease him out. However, it is 50-50 now. Rafael has won the bid and the honorable SC has disposed the case effectively in favour of 1950. As you rightly say, the court can’t manufacture evidence but has to determine on the basis of material placed before it.

Now there is speculation about the General seeking premature retirement.  Personally I wish that it happens because absolute faith and trust in the chain of command makes the fighting forces unique. (Do or die. Never ask why).

This do-or-die-never-ask-why is mostly misused by the Babus to retain their superiority. And they are successful because (a) they are close to politicians day in and day out and (b) netas know little about rigours and responsibilities of the Forces.

National interests are the casualty.

Regards.

RRG.

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Col Shivraj <colshivraj@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Feb 12, 2012 at 9:27 PM
Subject: Re: Col. Shivraj this new unpublished article on Army chief needs your suggestions…ps advise.
To: Rakesh Manchanda <rakeshmanchanda65@gmail.com>Thks Rakesh Ji for showing confidence in me.

Every thing written in the article is correct.

 Everyday, some one or the other is writing about this unfortunate case giving different angles / aspects. The truth shall never come out as no one will ever come to know, behind the scene activities.

I would like to tell you that we, in the Defence, lose our Fundamental Rights under the Constitution on joining, in that, we cannot form an association / union etc to represent our cases. Hence, it is incumbent on the country to ensure that the Defence Forces are not neglected. Working in the Defence Forces is not for salary but a commitment to the country to safeguard its sovereignty.

We should meet when we come back to Delhi.

 regards
Col Shivraj
10 Ahilya, Pilot Bunder

Colaba, Mumbai-400005

Phone: 22176058

Mob: 9619068408
http://www.google.com/profiles/colshivraj.
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