The rise and fall of Lalit Modi

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had an action packed last week. On the field more than 70 Indian cricketers fought their respective battles in three different competitions Champions League, NKP Salve Trophy and unofficial Test against visiting West Indies A team. Off the field, BCCI members engaged in a different ball game and surprised the cricket fraternity with their trademark googlies.

At the Special General Meeting held in Chennai, BCCI banned former vice-president of the board Lalit Modi for life.

Surprisingly, not a single association came in defence of Modi — the architect of the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL). Two days later, on Sunday, N Srinivasan got an extension as BCCI president, one of the most powerful posts in sports federations in the country.

Talking of former IPL commissioner Modi, the ban on him reminds me of an incident that took place eight years ago.

In 2005 BCCI AGM, Lalit Modi, a young, dashing administrator from Rajasthan, captained Sharad Pawar-ship to defeat rivals’ comprising stalwarts like Jagmohan Dalmiya and RS Mahendra. As a journalist, I needed some clarity on the AGM. So I called Mr Lalit Modi (I was lucky enough to have his number then, now I don’t). The newly elected VP of BCCI, Modi, yelled at me. He said, “How many journalists from the same organisation are going to call me? But for your information, Dalmiya is out of BCCI. He is finished. You get it? He is finished.”

Fast forward: 2013 SGM at Chennai. IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla, remarked, “It was a unanimous choice to ban Modi.

The proposer was Anirudh Chaudhary from the Haryana Cricket Association and seconded by Ranjib Biswal from Orissa Cricket Association.” Chaudhary, a Modi baiter and son of former BCCI president Mahendra, was expected to behave in this manner. But Biswal and others, who had backed Modi when the latter was increasing his clouts and minting money for the Indian cricket board, also gave their consent to the ban. Surprisingly, MP Pandove, representing Punjab Cricket Association on behalf of IS Bindra, known to be a Modi sympathiser, didn’t oppose. Mr Modi, who is finished now?

Of course, there is no doubt that the master craftsman Dalmiya orchestrated the whole drama. After making a dramatic comeback in BCCI couple of years ago, Dalmiya regrouped his camp. The Pawar camp weakened and the Kolkata strong man regained his territory.

The drama began when the board asked Srinivasan to step aside in the wake of the involvement of his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan in IPL spot-fixing scandal and hand over the day to day affairs to Dalmiya.

Dalmiya was made the interim president and he joined hands with Srini. Both co-wrote the new BCCI script. 

Not surprisingly, on Sunday, Niranjan Shah, V-P from West Zone, too, was dropped from the office-bearers’ list. The Rajkotian was close to Srini until the latter joined hands with Dalmiya. Shah originally from Pawar camp fell out with the chief. Why is the once blue-eyed-boy Modi isolated? Why Modi whose business strategy helped BCCI earn millions of dollars today lives in exile far away in London? All can be described in one word politics (Definition: conflicting interrelationships among people in a society).

Clearly suggesting this is very cunning and selfish world. Opportunists will use you and dump you once they get their work done. Depending on circumstances friends turn foe and vice versa.