Sitting Union Minister Jitin Prasada has been elected president of the Uttar Pradesh Hockey Association — which owes allegiance to Indian Hockey Federation — which is waging never ending series of legal battles to wrest hockey control from Hockey India for over five years from now.
In another development, the senior vice-president of IHF, Dinesh Reddy of Hyderabad, has been elected president of the IHF in the Annual General Meeting of the IHF held in Delhi today.
The post has become vacant after sitting president RK Shetty of Karnataka has reportedly resigned.
Dinesh Reddy is Director General of Police, Andhra Pradesh.
The IHF, known for its casual and wayward administrative style, never issues press releases on any development, so also today.
www.stick2hockey.com however broke the news of sitting Member of Parliament and Minister of State Jitin Prasada’s entry into the hockey affairs a fortnight ago.
Though Jitin Prasada was not present in the IHF AGM today, he was represented by his personal secretary.
The new IHF president Dinesh Reddy has been president of the Hyderabad Hockey Association since 2004. During his tenure, his unit hosted the National Championship for Rangasawmy Cup at Hyderabad.
When the same city hosted the first edition of the now defunct Premier Hockey League, he played a pivotal role in it.
Both Hockey India and Indian Hockey Federation has been engaged in a war like situation to wrest the control of Indian hockey.
The IHF, though formed in the early 1920s, was dissolved by the Indian Olympic Association in the aftermath of Chile disaster – when Indian hockey failed to qualify for the 2008 Olympics – but it successfully contested the decision in a court of law.
Meanwhile, a new dispensation Hockey India was put in place to administer the sport, which has the total backing of the International governing body, the FIH.
Both the factions have been litigating each other on many issues, suffice to say that hockey has been suffering because of the long running factional feud.
Entry of Jitin Prasada, a powerful young politician from the ruling Congress party, now adds a new twist to the ongoing saga of factionalism.
Many in the know of the things confirm Jitin’s entry as a State Unit president is the first stop to ladder up in the IHF hierchy, much the way brother of Sahara scion assumed the office of the Bengal Hockey Association in 2009.