Congress MPs lobby for lifting life ban on Azhar

Mohammad Azharuddin batted for Congress in the last general elections, and made a massive win from the minority-dominated Moradabad constituency in Uttar Pradesh and became an MP.

Now Congress is batting for him in a bid to extricate the Moradabad MP from disgrace. And the ex-cricketer may soon be cleansed of the match-fixing taint for good.

The Indian Cricket Board is under pressure from the Congress party to revoke a life ban on former skipper for his alleged involvement in the 2000 match-fixing scandal that rocked Indian cricket.

There is hectic lobbying in this direction. Last week, a Congress delegation led by AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh, that included Congress MPs Rajiv Shukla (BCCI vice-president), Jitin Prasad, actor-turned-politician Raj Babbar, Sanjay Singh and Praveen Singh Aron, met NCP chief Sharad Pawar, who is ICC vice-chairman. He directed the delegation to meet BCCI chief and close associate Shashank Manohar, who has succeeded Pawar in BCCI.

Why Congress is interested to lift the lifetime ban on Azhar is to use him as the new Muslim mascot in Utter Pradesh, where Congress’ new strategy needs some glamorous minority faces to take on "secular rivals" SP and BSP.

In the recent Firozabad bypolls, it was seen, there has been a large-scale shift in Muslim votes from SP to the Congress, which trounced Mulayam Singh Yadav's daughter-in-law. This has made the SP to alter its strategy. It snapped its relationship with once Hindutva mascot Kalyan Singh. And the Congress has to out do it.

"We want the lifetime ban to go from the man who brought laurels to the country with his skills. There were many players in the match-fixing case but they are all free of the ban. Why should the one on Azhar continue?" Digvijay Singh said.

Of the four Indian cricketers punished, only Azharuddin and Ajay Sharma remain out in the cold. Manoj Prabhakar served five years and Ajay Jadeja won a court case in 2003 against which the BCCI did not appeal.

They said a reprieve for Azharuddin is due as cricket boards of other countries —Pakistan, South Africa, Kenya and West Indies — have either withdrawn the ban or let off lightly their cricketers suspected of match fixing in 2000.

Pawar did not reject the MPs’ request, but said the relief sought for Azharuddin would require a unanimous resolution by the Board. (The BCCI blacklisted Azharuddin through a unanimous resolution nine years ago.)

If Azhar himself shows interest in wanting the ban lifted then it can be moved forward to the Annual General Meeting and the AGM will decide, it is said.

Azharuddin, an elegant right-hand batsman from Hyderabad, played 99 Tests and scored 6215 runs at an average of 45. He played a whopping 334 One-Dayers, accumulating 9378 runs at an average of 36.92.

- Asian Tribune -