Furore in Parliament over hockey scandal

Several members wanted a law soon to bring sports bodies under the government’s eye to weed out corruption, reports Shekhar Iyer.

There was outrage in Parliament over an Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) official being caught on camera accepting bribes for selecting a player in the Indian team.

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The episode cut across party lines. Several members wanted a law soon to bring sports bodies under the government’s eye to weed out corruption.

Despite the Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee urging the members to refrain from naming anybody, the Members of Parliament (MPs) said the IHF chief KPS Gill should quit and the secretary general Jothikumaran, who was shown accepting bribes in an expose by a television channel, should face criminal prosecution.

Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s deputy leader VK Malhotra said the matter should not end with Jothikumaran’s resignation.

“Criminal proceedings should also be initiated as it has tarnished the country’s reputation,” Malhotra said.

Malhotra said the government should not appear helpless. “The government’s nominees on the sporting bodies should be vigilant. The Indian Olympic Association and the government should deliberate on ways and means to avert such a situation.”