Ajay Maken, Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, has given three days ultimatum to feuding Hockey India and Indian Hockey Federation to merge.

By and large, the ministry has accepted the legal supremacy of Hockey India, and made huge concession for IHF to join Hockey India almost en masse.

Seeking to keep the status quo of the ruling Hockey India, the minister’s compromise formula rely on equal distribution of numbers in every layer of administration, from top posts and exeuctive board.

The formula proposes 33 executive committee members, increased from the existing 17 members of HI, and the remaining has to come from the IHF stable.

KPS Gill has been proposed to be taken as Patron in Chief without voting right and the reigning IHF president RK Shetty as the senior vice-president.

The hour-long meeting was attended by Hockey India Secretary General Narinder Batra, treasurer Mushtaq Ahmed and members Rajiv Mehta and Pratap Satpathy. The IHF was represented by its president RK Shetty and secretary Ashok Mathur.

Apart from MoYS Ajay Maken himself, Joint Secretary (Sports) Injeti Srinivas and Secretary (Sports) Sindhushree Khullar also participated.