Cong leader backs Maken on bringing BCCI under RTI ambit

Congress general secretary B K Hariprasad on Thursday backed sports minister Ajay Maken for his ministry's bid to bring sports bodies, including BCCI, under RTI's ambit.

Congress general secretary B K Hariprasad on Thursday backed sports minister Ajay Maken for his ministry's bid to bring sports bodies, including BCCI, under RTI's ambit.

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"There is nothing wrong if information is sought to be given to people. BCCI should come under the amit of RTI. All sports bodies, where huge money is being spent, should come under RTI because people have a right to know how and where this money is being spent," Hariprasad told reporters.

The AICC general secretary is the first leader from the party to have openly come out in support of the bill given the fact that many ministers belonging to Congress as well its crucial alliance partner NCP have strong objections to it.

He was commentig on the rejection of the National Sports Development Bill by the Cabinet on Tuesday after several ministers, having interests in sports bodies, raised objections to many of the clauses, including cap on age and tenure restrictions. Maken was told to redraft the bill.

Unfazed by rejection of his bill, sports minister Ajay Maken on Thursday he would talk to his cabinet colleagues to convince them but ruled out any such effort with regard to BCCI bigwigs.

Insisting that BCCI cannot give the "excuse" of being an autonomous body to escape RTI scrutiny, Maken said the Cricket Board should consider itself a public authority under the RTI Act as it "directly or indirectly" benefits from the government.