Why BCCI should be under RTI Act

Matter of bringing BCCI under purview of RTI Act is of utmost national importance when BCCI conducts cricket-matches with teams controlled by it named as ‘Indian team’ getting all types of recognization and facilities from Union and state-governments. Even Union government has repeatedly stressed for BCCI to be a public-authority under RTI Act for such similar reasons.

With so much notoriety induced in cricket-politics involving BCCI and Indian Premier League (IPL) like match-fixing and role of black money in IPL, larger national and public interest demands BCCI to be covered by RTI Act for an effective and meaningful government-control of enormous amount of such public-money minted regularly by BCCI.

Public-money is earned by BCCI through people’s craze for cricket in India taking the game just like a ‘religion’. If religious bodies like Tirupati and Vaisnodevi can have administrative government-control because of huge offered public-money with these bodies, there is reason that BCCI funded through people’s craze for cricket may be declared a public-authority under RTI Act also when such money is distributed like freebies amongst already super-rich cricketers and organizations, rather than being spent for public-cause.

It was a big shame that when whole of the nation was in deep grief of Uttarakhand tragedy requiring huge amount of money for relief and rehabilitation, BCCI was busy in announcing reward money of rupees one crore each to our arabpati cricketers.

Non-accountability in BCCI led to match-fixing in IPL exposed by Delhi Police. BCCI office-bearers felt shy to speak clearly on the vital issue with many BCCI faces hiding themselves in their houses. If BCCI would have been accountable under RTI Act, perhaps these politician office-bearers would not have hided themselves in such an irresponsible manner showing an unmatched unanimity cutting across party-lines.

Some of our law-makers paid from public-exchequers devote much of their time in playing cricket-politics rather than serving the cause for which they are paid. Some of them participate in cabinet-meetings discussing bills to bring BCCI under purview of RTI Act, a serious matter of conflict of interest. With such a powerful cricket-lobby in existence affecting even cabinet-decisions, it is for the Honourable Central Information Commission to look into massive and unanimous public-demand to make BCCI accountable under RTI Act. After all it is Hamara Paisa and we demand Hamara Hisab!