“The corrupt elements have started plotting against me after I proposed an ethics commission to look into unethical practices, harassments of sports persons and corruption in the sports field. They have succeeded in killing sports, but the morale of sports persons cannot be killed.”
Thiruvananthapuram : An experiment by Kerala’s previous United Democratic Front (UDF) government to leave sports administration to sportspersons came to an end on Wednesday when the State Sports Council comprising eminent sports personalities led by Olympian Anju Bobby George stepped down.
The council that met here in the morning took the decision following a fortnight-long open confrontation between the celebrated long jumper and Sports Minister E Jayarajan. The minister made the going difficult for the council by calling the entire council corrupt and Congress affiliates.
“It is not proper to continue even after hearing all these allegations. Me and my council members do not want to continue in the wake of such misunderstandings and allegations against us,” Anju told at Thiruvananthapuram.
The 13 council members who resigned along with Anju include noted volleyball player Tom Jose, long distance runner Preeja Sreedharan and Indian hockey squad goalkeeper Sreejesh Ravindran.
The events leading to the resignations started on June 9, when Anju went to the state secretariat to meet the minister for the first time after he assumed office and discuss the future plans of the council. Anju said that the minister was not interested to listen to her.
Instead, he unleashed accusations on her. Besides alleging corruption and attributing political motives to her, he also questioned her flight journeys. A humiliated Anju complained to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who defended his colleague instead of ascertaining the facts from her.
Anju realised that it was part of a move to smoke her out. She suspects the hands of corrupt elements behind the hostile attitude towards her from the sports minister and the chief minister. She said that they had become restless after she started looking into the corruption and irregularities in the council after she assumed charge in December last year. “The corrupt elements started plotting against me after I proposed an ethics commission to look into unethical practices, harassments of sports persons and corruption in the sports field. They have succeeded in killing sports, but the morale of sports persons cannot be killed,” she added. The 39-year-old athlete, who is the lone Indian to win a medal in World Athletics Championship, however, is not ready to leave crusade against corruption. Before tendering her resignation, she has written a letter to Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) Director Jacob Thomas to conduct a probe into the corruption in the council in the last 10 years.
She had pointed out several instance of corruption in her open letter to the sports minister. She has cited the sports lottery organised during the previous term of the LDF government as the biggest corruption in the sports council. She has even called it the biggest sports scam of the century.
This is considered embarrassing for the Pinarayi government as it was planning to appoint T P Dasan, who presided over the council during the period, as the new sports council chief. Dasan has denied her allegations. He said that the entire yield from the lottery was spent on sports activities. The sports minister has welcomed the council decision to quit. He told reporters in the state capital that he was happy that the entire council had quit. The Chief Minister played it down, saying if one council goes, another will come in its place.
The Congress has viewed it as a further insult to the sports personalities. Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala said it was most unfortunate that the new government is making things difficult for world renowned athletes.
