Bishan Singh Bedi Threatens To Legal Action Against DDCA

Dec 27, 2020 at 7:00 PM

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Bishan Singh Bedi Threatens To Legal Action Against DDCA

Bishan Singh Bedi, legendary spinner has threatened to take legal action against the DDCA if his name is not removed from a spectators’ stand at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground with immediate effect.

On Wednesday, he had sent a letter to the Delhi and District Cricket Association, criticising the body for installing a statue of its late former President Arun Jaitley at the Kotla Stadium.

Bishen Singh Bedi
Bishan Singh Bedi (Picture Source – Reuters)

Bishan Singh Bedi Sad At Receiving No Reaction From Rohan Jaitley

In the absence of any response from DDCA, Bishan Singh Bedi wrote another letter to the DDCA cricket body on Saturday and said he was sad for receiving no response for the first letter.

“It’s been a few days since I wrote to you … While within minutes of my letter going public I had the overwhelming support of the cricket fraternity across the globe. But I’m sad there’s been no reaction from you,” Bishan Singh Bedi wrote in his letter addressed to DDCA President Rohan Jaitley.

“… I hope in our country people still have a right to decide as individuals what they wish to be associated with & where their name plates can hang with dignity. Please don’t push me to take legal recourse.”

Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly. Image Credit: Getty Images.

Bishan Singh Bedi had also decided to renounce his membership of the DDCA. In his letter, he questioned the DDCA president’s “ill-advised” and “inexplicable” silence to his first letter.

“Your seemingly ill-advised silence to my letter that has triggered a public debate about perpetuating politicians at sporting venues exposes your naivety,” he wrote.

“Your inexplicable silence also underlines guilt of occupying a position of power solely because of your family name, which, you obviously wish to promote, come what may. Finally, I hope you will have the basic courtesy to reply to a former cricketer who is not asking for a favour but wants his cricketing integrity not to be bartered away.”

The statue of Arun Jaitley will be unveiled by BCCI president Sourav Ganguly at Kotla on Monday in the presence of union home minister Amit Shah and former BCCI chief Anurag Thakur, among others.

Bishan Singh Bedi Don’t Wish A Stand In His Name When Late Arun Jaitley’s Statue Erected Without Shame

Bishan Singh Bedi said he don’t want himself to be associated with the cricket stadium which has a statue of the late politician, who was a minister in the BJP-led NDA government and died last year owing to multiple health issues.

“I’ve been around long to know DDCA has a tradition of ignoring cricketers’ voice, hence this reminder. There’s a reason for my urgent request,” the 74-year-old said.

Arun Jaitley
Arun Jaitley (Image Credit: Google)

“… Not for a day or even a minute would I feel better to be part of a cricket stadium which has a statue of a person, who I strongly believe, brought down cricketing values in the Capital hugely, to say the least. No, I don’t wish a stand in my name when late Arun Jaitley’s statue is erected without any visible shame.”

Arun Jaitley was DDCA president for 14 years, from 1999 to 2013, before quitting cricket administration. DDCA plans to have a six-foot statue of him installed at the Kotla Stadium to honour his memory. DDCA had named one of the stands after Bishan Singh Bedi in November 2017 along with another former India player Mohinder Amarnath.

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