The sport of politics

May 02 : The political reality  in the country often gets reflected on the floor of the House, and so does the single-most important concern of all political parties: stability. Hence it is not surprising that the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supported the United
Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in clearing the first major trial of strength in the Lok Sabha by defeating the cut motions.
As the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) plays “musical chairs” with Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati’s “disproportionate assets” case, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has limited options. And the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has reacted to Jharkhand chief minister Shibu Soren’s vote against the cut motions in Lok Sabha, must weigh all its options before taking a decision.
There is further trouble as members of Parliament linked to the Karnataka mining baron voted in favour of the UPA. However, all concerned would deny any political deals but we know that politics is not about helping the Opposition. Despite minor setbacks the Congress has shown political strength and is clearly heading towards a stable majority in the future.
The cut motion was never in doubt, but the holes in Opposition’s unity have been fully exposed. The Congress continues to consolidate while the BJP and the Left continue to slide. The Congress has to avoid “political accidents” and keep taking corrective action. As elections approach they will have a problem of “excessive” migration from the Opposition to their ranks as everyone likes to stay on the winning side.
The Assembly elections in Bihar might go in favour of the BJP-Janata Dal (United) alliance, but the Congress will increase its number of seats. The electoral verdict of the West Bengal Assembly election 2011 is going to be in favour of the Trinamul Congress and the only tussle I can see is over distribution of tickets between the Trinamul Congress and the Congress. In Kerala, the Communist Party of India-Marxist may give a better performance but the Congress will win. In Uttar Pradesh, many things will change with time. No short-term agreements will change the ground situation as the BSP and the Congress battle for power.

THE BOARD of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) controversy is far from over. It is a brazen battle to control the resources of the BCCI that has very little to do with the game of cricket.
The Indian Premier League (IPL)-3 was a great success and the public continues to be entertained by the tussle between the IPL and the BCCI. The soap opera being played out has a great deal of public interest. According to me, both sides would make a mistake if they think that public support is for anything other than cricket. The media has been in a frenzy and now eagerly awaits the disclosures of the suspended IPL commissioner Lalit Modi.
The position could change very dramatically if there is any “truth” in the statements issued by Mr Modi. In any case there is a nagging doubt about the BCCI’s assertion that Mr Modi alone committed every alleged illegality. There is a suggestion that there was a serious conflict of interest and clearly the “key” to the whole controversy lies in the bids for the Kochi IPL team.
Only those involved in the talks know the truth and the media cannot be blamed for excessive speculation. IPL governing council member Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi has admitted that the panel failed to check the IPL mess, and has called for an investigation to clean up IPL. In my opinion, this was a very honest reflection of the situation.
The battle for control is far from over but the vast majority of BCCI members have little to do with financial matters — these are restricted to a select few individuals with multiple objectives. Nothing should be done to settle scores with the franchisees who took the risk to invest in this new venture three years ago when few thought that it would be a success. While the franchisees deserve all the success, the income-tax department is entitled to increased tax collections. There were several demands already being made on tax issues and service tax even before this controversy started. One of them is to stop treating the BCCI as a “charitable organisation”.
If political parties interfere in the matters of the BCCI, it will be a serious error of judgment. So far no one can blame the UPA government of any partisan action and the I-T department has followed the same procedure as it would have done for any private enterprise. But the heavy number of public servants in the BCCI complicates the issue, as in the case of former minister of state for external affairs Shashi Tharoor. There are, of course, a different set of rules applicable to public servants if tax enquiries produce evidence of “conflict of interest” or if the disclosures made by Mr Modi indicate political influence or interference in the award of contracts or in negotiations on the Kochi franchisee. Then the government will have little option but to go for a CBI investigation.
The IPL has been a raging success and the recent controversy may hurt the interests of a “few” but it may also hold many positives for the future. For starters, the BCCI will stop being treated as a “charity”. This will result in increased tax collections. Another positive outcome that is likely is that political leaders in the future may avoid the sports arena to further their political ambitions.
The Directorate of Enforcement and the I-T department have become rather active on the IPL issue but would the picture be any different if they looked into the BCCI and all the state units?
Cricket is being held hostage by the political fraternity and this is a serious mistake. I wonder what will happen once the Commonwealth Games 2010 are over and a mountain of charges and counter charges are made on several projects. I believe that many involved are keeping “notes” for protection against what may happen in the future.

By Arun Nehru
Arun Nehru is a former Union Minister