Outgoing minister MS Gill had made solid impact on Indian sports

Finally he is out. Three months ago, he has been rested from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and sent to bench in the Programme Implementation Ministry. The vocal and impact making Manohar Singh Gill is now not even there, having been removed today from that bench also.

But, being hockey followers, we cannot just ignore and forget MS Gill’s spell in the Sports Ministry, which ran about two and half years. Within a week from he succeeded utterly unfitting Mani Shankar Iyer, MS Gill did the unthinkable.

He played a big role in getting long standing KPS Gill (his class mate in Amritsar) removed from the Indian Hockey Federation. But for his solid support from behind, this good thing would not have happened. Whatever one has to say about the dissolution of the IHF now, it was widely welcomed when it happened.

He took extraordinary interest in Hockey, he brought hockey back into the Priority Sports List. He often interacted with the Ad-hoc committee formed to run the hockey affairs then, especially with the selection committee. He assured all help to revive hockey interest, in his own words, ‘even if it will take 50 years’.

On a larger canvass, he is the first minister to teach the Federation a lesson on system and discipline. He made the now popular guidelines, and when the wisdom was not only questioned but also challenged by the Indian Olympic Association cohorts (who are now in jail due to corruption charges) in the court, he won the court case. When the judicial pronouncement came on the eve of last year’s Diwali, he famously termed it as the ‘Courts Diwali gift to Indian youth’.

He boldly declared sports federations as public office and thus brought these under the greatest of laws we ever had in India namely Right To Information (RTI). High Court of India endorsed his decision despite argued against it by leading lawyers engaged by the IOA.

Its always govt that used to lose the media war whenever it engages with Sports Federations. Media always support Federations because they have easy access to persons holding Federation offices while it is next to impossible to get the view of the government. MS Gill for once changed it. He activated his media cell. The result is that press gets the view of the government even before concerned file moves to a lower division clerk in the Ministry.

The press activism of the Ministry is his solid contribution, perhaps he being a columnist, the former election commissioner understood the significance of the media well.

He nearly tripled the pension amount for sports persons, and also converted the pensioners list a permanent one not requiring it to be renewed every five years.

Number of sports persons who got purses on compassionate ground also tripled in his spell. So also prize monies, government nowadays disburses about 50 crores on prize money alone.

When the sports federations refused to oblige court approved Government Guidelines, especially on the mode of conducting election, and brought the totally questionable International Olympic Committee in their support, he did not budge.

He deputed one of his trusted officials to Geneva, the IOC headquarters, to argue government case. Such dynamism has never been the case of government ministry so far. Yes, the IOC was surprised at the outdated and antiquated IOA statues and it asked its own National Association (IOA) to amend its constitution.

He did not stop there. He understood the real reasons why the Federations which survive on government doles, do not have any respect for common rules of good and ethical governance. For, India did not have any
Sports law — ironically.

He did not sit back and rue. He initiated moves to make it. He had in him a highly motivated and enlightened officer in Injeti Srinivas, Joint Secretary. Injeti authored the Sports Law which is waiting to be introduced in the coming session of parliament.

Gill has nullified ‘voice vote election fraud’ the IOA and especially the IHF has been conducting since the 80s, had the guts to disaffiliate non-obeying National Sports Federations.

Not surprisingly, the new incumbent Ajay Maken vowed to carry out the good work of his predecessor. And that’s why now the sports law is about to became a reality.

On the negative side, Gill dug his own graveyard being loud and large mouthed, inability to avoid controversies during the Commonwealth Games, and significantly prompting Azaruddin to contest the badminton association election.

When the famous cricketer lost out to Varma (who is again in the jails nowadays) in the BAI election, it is he who spoilt Gill’s name with the powers that be. The famous cricketer had just won a prestige election for the party, and had the ears of high command of his party. Azaruddin felt he had been let down by him. This was the rumour that floated when Gill was removed from sports ministry.

Gill was also on the bad headlines when he sought to sideline former All England champion and wrestler legend Satpal Singh on some occasions. It was also pathetic sight to see him inaugurate every stadia in Delhi on the eve of CWG, and listen to his nonsense but lengthy lectures. His inability to bring neither the executive head of the country or his party’s did create a mystery in the run up to the CWG.

MS Gill also committed the malfeance of seeing off Charlesworth. MS Gill did not even grant him appointment. The dejected Ric had to take the good offices of Australian High Commission to get that!

During the Junior Asia Cup in Hyderabad, Gill exposed his lack of knowledge on hockey when he said there are hundreds of Olympians in India, their houses are filled with Olympic golds, and that he will request them to coach Indian hockey team and that gora is not a must for India! He was voluntarily justifying not renewal of Ric’s 3 month contract!!

Blemishes such as these apart, MS Gill’s tenure has been useful to Indian sports. He made the much needed and long awaited difference.