NEWS
SCHEDULES
COLUMNS
PREVIOUS TOURS
OTHER SPORTS
STATISTICS
INTERVIEWS
SLIDE SHOW
ARCHIVES

The 'real issue', Mr Dalmiya, is corruption!

Emails and phone calls these last few days have focused on two themes: One, why is Rediff mum with regards to Kapil Dev (one caller, and a few Emails, suggested that we had certain vested interests in 'protecting' him). And secondly, isn't Dalmiya right when he says the spate of recent stories about him is an attempt to sidetrack attention from the 'real issue' of match-fixing.

To take those two issues in order: Yes, we have been pretty quiet on Kapil Dev. But then, we didn't say anything about Azhar, Jadeja, Mongia et al, either. For the simple reason that we don't believe in saying things we cannot prove. Further, there is a CBI inquiry on now, and all that we know or suspect has been intimated to them -- the buck for now stops there, as does the muck. And we are content, for now, to await the outcome of the probe, and for the investigating agency to reveal who is guilty and who is not, without whiling away the interim in needless speculation.

One point, though, deserves making -- despite Kapil Dev's lachrymose performance when he came vis a vis Karan Thapar on BBC, I fail to understand the outpouring of mails on the 'Poor Kapil, why are we doing this to a national hero?' lines. This is probably flame bait, but still, there is a question in my mind that refuses to go away: Kapil Dev, a section of readers point out, has incredible achievements to his name, he has single handedly won us matches, how can we suspect him of being in league with bookies?

Fair question. We -- at least, Rediff is not about to pronounce him guilty. Or innocent. As pointed out, there is an inquiry on, so let's see what comes of it.

What I fail to understand, though, is why in the case of Kapil Dev everyone is ready to spout the 'innocent until proved guilty' line, whereas in the case of Azharuddin, to take one example, entire sections of the audience were too ready to damn him, sans investigation and proof. I fail to understand why it is easy to believe Azhar is corrupt, but difficult to digest the same accusation as pertains to Kapil Dev. Is it that Azhar's achievements have been any less?

Both have produced brilliant cricketing moments. Thus, if Kapil has -- or had, till recently -- more wickets than any other international bowler, then Azhar has more ODI runs than any other international batsman. If Kapil's derring do in slamming Eddie Hemmings for four sixes on the trot to avoid a follow on is a purple moment in our cricketing annals, so too I would think was Azhar's incredible counter-attack (including the five fours on the run against Klusener in Calcutta).

We could go on and on, citing more parallels -- but the overall point I am driving at is, both are players who have contributed joyous moments to the Indian fan. That does not mean, however, that they are incapable of sinning. Whether they have, or not, is for the inquiry to determine. So why not just leave it there for now?

Then why, you will turn around and ask, does the same not apply in the case of Dalmiya? Simple -- because as of now, there is no inquiry into his conduct, and we believe there should be. The day an official agency launches a probe into Dalmiya's activities, we will step back and watch developments. Until then, however, we believe that the spotlight is on him, and deservedly so at that.

There is another reason, a valid one. If, to cite an example, you see a guy in a queue for railway tickets bribing a tout to get him one out of turn and ask him why he is indulging in corruption, his response is likely to be: 'Why are you picking on me? Look at our politicians, look at the Harshad Mehtas of this world, so many of them in the highest places are corrupt, if you can't clean up corruption at the top why are you bothering about me?'

That underlines the real problem -- if there is corruption at the top, in any organisation or any country, it is merely a matter of time before it spreads right down to the grassroots. The evil of corruption begins at the top and percolates downwards -- logically, therefore, a clean up also has to begin at the top. And that is why Dalmiya is wrong when he says that the focus on him is an attempt to sidetrack attention from the real issue.

The real issue is not betting, or match-fixing, or any one specific act by one specific player. The issue is corruption. Endemic, pervasive corruption.

And that brings us to specifics.

Continued: Did Dalmiya bribe his way to the ICC chairmanship?

Related links:

Minutes from the BCCI meeting relating to Dalmiya's bid to be ICC chairman -- dated May 9, 2000

Sound and fury -- David Richards springs to Dalmiya's defence -- dated May 3, 2000

Why is the ICC lying? -- May 4, 2000

Prem Panicker