Former Delhi and India all-rounder Kirti Azad, who is now a BJP MP from Darbhanga, has been vocal about the rot in the DDCA. He spoke to Mihir Srivastava. Excerpts:
Does the DDCA promote cricket?
No, I don’t think so. They run academies, clubs, but all of them have become money-making machines. If it wasn’t for the National Institute for Sports, the spirit with which cricket is played would long be dead by now.
Your own crusade against corruption in the DDCA is well-known.
The DDCA is built on graves of eunuchs. Do you know it was raided by CBI in 1982? Corruption is institutionalised. It’s not new. The fact-finding and SFIO report have confirmed what I have been telling (Arun) Jaitley for so many years, but to no avail. Who is he trying to protect?
Why are you gunning for Arun Jaitley?
All my allegations stand substantiated. If I am wrong, punish me. And if I am right, justice should be done. I have done 90 per cent of the investigations. I have all the incriminating documents. I don’t have an iota of doubt.
Why do you think no action was taken, even during the UPA regime?
Cricket is a cosy club, and political affiliations don’t matter, money does. I am baffled that despite such strong evidence, no one in the media has ever uttered a word. The media is critical of the Gandhis and the Kalmadis, even Narendra Modi, but doesn’t utter a word against Arun Jaitley. Why is the media so scared?
Is there pressure on you from your party to shut up?
No. Nobody tells me anything. I want a defamation filed against me if I am wrong. I was a Test player, part of the team that won India its first Cricket World Cup. I am sportsperson and support fair play. That’s it. I’ll continue my crusade against corruption in the DDCA.
