Kirti Azad: Politics might let us down, not IPL

“Shouldn’t there be transparency in the running of cricket associations? There is too much politics in sport. I wish that there was more sportsmanship in politics,” Azad told the gathering. The 53-year-old, who played seven Tests and 25 ODIs, has demanded a probe into the scandal which led to the BCCI suspending five players. “First spot fixing, then Shah Rukh Khan’s brawl in Mumbai and now, Luke Pomersbach’s arrest on charges of molestation. What does the IPL teach the youth?” Azad fumed,” says a DNA report. [caption id=“attachment_316321” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“PTI”]  [/caption] Azad is absolutely correct only with one of his statements: there is too much politics in sport – including his interference and ill-founded comments on the IPL. “First, spot-fixing,” he says. Azad would do well to remember that, as of now, these are only accusations – nothing has been proven as yet. Even if the accusations are proven to have substance, it is an issue that it larger than the IPL – spot fixing is a global phenomenon which involves players from all over the globe. Why is the IPL to blame for this? “Then, Shah Rukh Khan’s brawl in Mumbai.” How on earth can anyone control or be responsible for the behaviour or misbehavior of every single person connected with the IPL? Is the Indian Parliament responsible for all sins of omission and commission by all those connected with politics across the country? “Now, Luke Pomersbach’s arrest on charges of molestation,” Azad adds. First, the response is the same as in the previous paragraph. How is the IPL management responsible for the personal misdemeanors of a player? Azad made his remarks before the rave party bust and Azad will, most likely, link this too. How can the IPL decide what their constituents, including players, do off the field? Going back to Azad’s remarks, he asks, “What does the IPL teach youth?” Mr. Azad, one could ask you, with far more relevance, what does politics teach youth? In the last few days, we’ve had Mamata Banerjee insisting that all who attended a live interaction with her and Sagarika Ghose were ‘Maoists’, we’ve seen a senior Congressman, ND Tiwari, refusing to give the police a DNA sample after a court has ordered him to do so, we’ve learnt that Mayawati has spent nearly Rs 6000 crores on parks and memorials, That’s just over the last few days. Do we extrapolate and say that all politicians are like Mamata, Tiwari and Mayawati? Do we call for the shutting down of the political system? Forget about what the IPL may or may not teach youth, Mr Azad. Worry about what politics in the country teaches youth and fast for that cause.