Sahara Scion flexes the electoral muscle
Crystal Ball Room in Delhi’s Lalit Hotel is not new to newsmen. Welcome mela to Jr. World Cup winning Indian team to annual PHL announcements are all used to be held here.
But today’s event (Wednesday, the 25th February) was different. No tournament was going to be held. Nor any Indian hockey team was there.
It was a different atmosphere. It was a campaign interestingly titled: Restore IHF – Give Hockey Its Due’.
The constituent bodies of the Indian Hockey Federation, State Hockey Associations, assembled here: seated on two parallel rows on the large dais. Flanked by his State Hockey Association (SHA) Secretary Gurbux Singh, and Madhya Bharat SHA Secretary NP Katare, JB Roy, younger scion of the Sahara Pariwar, represented the bodies. Speaking for the first time in a hockey related press conference, JB Roy aggressively articulated his point of view with respect to IHF election.
We are asking for elections. Its 10 months over since the IHF has been dissolved. Why the elections are not held. Why the KPS Gill faction and the IOA seem not interested in organizing the elections? He posed.
As much as he wanted to put the issues in a more sophisticated manner, the message was blunt to the Indian Olympic Association. He asked, why they are not replying to court when they will conduct the elections?”.
That his another announcement that the SHAs have authorized him to intervene in the Writ Petition, which comes for hearing on March 2nd point to the fact that this man is in a hurry. He is not in a mood to wait.
Much spade work seemed to have been done – a law firm explained the position of the case in the SHA meeting that preceded the press meet – and the group is all set to intervene in the court case, which should certainly worry the Adhoc Committee, which got to govern the sport of hockey not by earning it, but by the luck of it.
Remaining focused on the single issue of election, not acceding to any queries on any other topic, Roy sends the message clear to IOA – he was not even ready to declare whether he is interested in contesting in the election. It hardly matters who contest?. If some body in the family commits a crime why the whole family is punished”, he asked.
It seems Roy is speaking from the position of strength. All those who supported him in his previous gathering – seminar at Amby Valley in Maharashtra – were here. Some SHAs who intend to play double game being present in every possible camps were not invited. “Why we have to invite those people whom we cannot rely on”, said Kukoo Walia, who introduced each SHA member seated on the dais.
According to Roy, in addition to 28 present here, four SHA will also support him in his campaign for election. Three out of four govt controlled bodies are yet to be approached. So, Roy can afford luxury and can avoid inviting double gamers, it appears.
When he was asked about the absence of Narinder Batra, president of JK association – he had earlier in the day sent lengthy SMS to media persons – Roy was at his best: “He wants to get media mileage. It is he who helped us get this hotel, got us concession, and I don’t know why has he changed his mind quickly?”
He did not even spare IOA president Suresh Kalmadi, “He assured as early election at Amby Valley seminar. We believed him, waited almost four months. Nothing happened. Now we took this action”, he said.
With the memorandum already circulated to Media – which will be handed over to IOA and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, tomorrow — Roy has stirred the waters. By presenting his supporters publically, he proved he means business, and allowed no room for double gamers in his scheme of things.
Roy’s show of strength seems not merely a show, but measured and methodical — with full force of course.
Interesting days are ahead. Watch out this space