Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) held its executive committee meeting in Vijaywada to ‘co-opt’ new members and the new set of office-bearers will be headed by the son of outgoing secretary G Ganga Raju, Ranga Raju, who had to relinquish his position because of the Supreme Court approved rules of the Lodha Committee. According to the ACA, GVK Ranga Raju is the interim president.
“Ranga Raju takes the place of president DVSS Somayajulu, who has demitted the office,” said an ACA official stating that the new office-bearers were co-opted into the committee as per the Lodha Committee norms. There is a new secretary, a new vice-president and two new joint secretaries.
But the ACA decision, arrived at a meeting of all the club and district members, raised eyebrows on two accounts: No 1. Ranga Raju has been the vice-president of the association for seven years and No 2: he is the son of the outgoing secretary.
“We don’t know how far the decision is complying with the norms. We will have to hear from the Lodha committee itself,” said a seasoned ACA member. But another member said there is nothing wrong in the decision. “It is an interim body and he was co-opted into the body as was a vice-president. We don’t see anything wrong in this.”
When reminded about the mandatory cooling-off clause after every three-year term, the ACA official said, that kicks in when there is an election. “It is an interim body and only the qualified members have been taken in this,” the official said.
Although Ganga Raju, who was a vice-president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and a Member of Parliament from the ruling BJP, was the secretary of the association, he was virtually the strongman of the body. He could not be reached for a comment while Ranga Raju did not respond to a message. One wonders what the Lodha Committee will have to say about this?
Courtesy: Mumbai Mirror
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