Two top BCCI officials -- secretary Sanjay Jagdale and treasurer Ajay Shirke -- today quit from their respective posts in a bid to put pressure on beleaguered Cricket Board President N Srinivasan in the wake of the IPL spot-fixing and betting scandal.
u00a0In a severe blow to BCCI President N Srinivasan, two senior Board officials today quit piling more pressure on him to step down on a day he convened a Working Committee meeting and information spilled out that the ICC warned his son-in-law to keep away from bookies at the start of IPL.
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BCCI Secretary Sanjay Jagdale, himself a former cricketer, and Treasurer Ajay Shirke, sent their resignations to Srinivasan saying they were deeply hurt by recent developments in cricket.
Sanjay Jagdale
Significantly, Jagdale, who is also a member of the three-member inquiry commission to go into allegations against CSK Team Principal Gurunath Meiyappan and CSK franchise owner India Cements, run by Srinivasan, also opted out of the inquiry committee.
"I have expressed my inability to join the probe," Jagdale said when asked whether he would continue in the panel which has two retired Judges on it.
It was a day of dramatic developments when Jagdale, Shirke and Joint Secretary Anurag Thakur called Srinivasan and asked him to announce convening of an immediate meeting of the Working Committee by evening failing which they threatened to quit.
But it was another matter that even as Srinivasan initiated the process of calling such a meeting on probably June 8, the two office-bearers announced their decision to quit in what is seen as a pressure tactics to ensure the Board Chief's ouster.
However, both of them declined to ask Srinivasan to quit, saying it was his individual decision.u00a0
"Yes, that's true, I have resigned from the post of honorary secretary of BCCI," Jagdale said.
"I don't want to comment further but I am deeply hurt by the recent developments in Indian cricket. I thought it's better to get out so that some new faces come in and deal with it in a better way," he added.
He, however, refused to divulge the details of the resignation letter sent to Srinivasan. "I can't comment about the resignation letter I have written to the President. It's proper to inform the President and I have done that."
Jagdale said he would no longer be part of the three-man inquiry commission set up by the BCCI to go into allegations against Srinivasan's son-in-low and CSK Team Principal Gurunath Meiyappan, who was arrested on charges of betting in IPL, and Rajasthan Royals franchise.
"I have already expressed my inability to be part of the commission," Jagdale said.
Ajay Shirke
"I have spelt out my reasons (for resignation). I don't want to comment any further. I have already spoken to the media at length," Srirke said.
Shirke said he was not cajoled by Srinivasan not to quit.
Buckling under relentless pressure on him to quit, Srinivasan today convened an emergency meeting of the Board's all-powerful working committee on June 8 to discuss the current crisis arising out of betting and spot-fixing in IPL.
The beleaguered President's decision came after three important members called him up to convene such a meeting and asked him to announce it by the evening in what is seen as the first step towards possibly ousting him.
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