A day after the IPL ‘home games’ of Sunrisers Hyderabad got over at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Uppal here, there was action with a difference at the venue on Friday when former office-bearers including former HCA president G. Vinod staged a protest demonstration alleging that the ruling group headed by president Arshad Ayub is trying to postpone the elections on some pretext or the other.
‘Undemocratic’
Leading a group comprising about 50 Club Secretaries (including proxy voters), Mr. Vinod alleged that the HCA is being run in the most undemocratic manner ever since Arshad Ayub took charge.
“We demand that the elections be held as per schedule this month-end,” he insisted.
It may be recalled here that the ruling brass is keen to conduct the AGM and the elections only in September on the ground that they took charge in the same month two years ago after the then ruling group had deferred the elections from the original schedule in May 2014.
Appeal to secretaries
“I sincerely appeal to all the 220 Club Secretaries to save the seven-decade old HCA from this kind of nepotism. You see any subject related to the stadium there is rampant corruption,” Mr. Vinod pointed out.
The former HCA chief also appealed to the Anti-Corruption Bureau to speed up the follow-up action on its probe into financial irregularities.
“Everyone know what kind of support my family (including his father late G. Venkataswamy, his brother G. Vivekanand) have lent in seeing the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium come up by giving a financial assistance of Rs.4.5 crore in the early stages when no one else had come forward,” Mr. Vinod said.
“Many cricketers including Hyderabad Ranji captain Hanuma Vihari, young talent Rohit Rayudu and D.B. Ravi Teja are seeking the Board of Cricket Control in India nod to play for Andhra Cricket Association as they feel they were not getting the due in Hyderabad,” remarked another former HCA office-bearer.
