Gill lauds Batra’s exclusion from four-member delegation for IOC meeting

Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) patron and Chief Advisor, K.P.S. Gill on Saturday applauded Indian Olympic Association (IOA) acting chief V.K. Malhotra’s decision not to include Hockey India Secretary General Narinder Batra in the four-member delegation for a meeting with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne on May 15.

The IOA on Friday finalised a four-member delegation, which will accompany Sports Ministry officials, for the May 15 meeting with IOC to find a way for India’s return to the Olympic movement.

Besides, Malhotra, the list includes N. Ramachandran (Patron, Squash Rackets Federation of India), Tarlochan Singh (Vice-president, Archery Association of India) and S. Raghunathan (President, Indian Kayaking Canoeing Association).

“Let me congratulate your stance for not including in your list of delegation for Lausanne the dubious and unethical individual Narinder Batra,” Gill wrote in his letter, dated May 4, 2013, to Malhotra.

Criticising Batra, Gill said, “It is a well known fact that the conniving Narinder Batra has been playing games for his own selfish interest and ensured that the IOA does not show any favourable inclination towards the IHF. Along with the FIH he has been using blackmailing tactics and putting pressure on the government and the IOA for his own selfish motives.

“It was Narinder Batra who moved the courts for the implementations of the Govt sports guidelines and now he himself has been contradicting it.

“Any individual who has no ethics and passion cannot be and should not be allowed to be a part of any delegation going to discuss the IOA matters with the IOC,” he added.

Gill emphasised that IHF is the sole legal National Sports Federation for hockey in India.

“As you are aware, the IOA has given this submission in the Delhi High Court, which also ruled that the IHF is the only legal body for hockey in the country. The Delhi HC also ruled that Hockey India formed in a very clandestine manner is private body and has no locus standi,” he said.

“The IOA website also lists IHF as the recognised body of the IOA and if you recall just before the IOA elections, the Delhi HC also gave voting rights to the IHF.

“We have been functioning as the sole NSF with all the states units affiliated to us and in turn there are hundreds of clubs which are affiliated to the state units,” he insisted.

Stating that he was looking forward to IOA’s co-operation and assistance in re-establishing IHF as the sole national body for hockey in India, Gill said, “We are prepared to assist and cooperate with the IOA to resolve all pending issues for further promotion and development of the game in India provided dubious individuals and unethical people are kept away from the IOA.”