I needed a platform to fight BCCI: Dalmiya
Former BCCI chief says his plight made him disregard CM's hint of not contesting for CAB polls.
Jagmohan Dalmiya on Wednesday said he had no option but to contest for the top post in Cricket Association of Bengal as he needed a platform to fight the current BCCI regime.
The former BCCI chief said his current plight prompted him to disregard the state Chief Minister's suggestion that he should not contest for the presidentship of CAB.
"I am hurt that I could not honour Chief Minister Buddadev Bhattacharjee's words. Believe me, I had every intention to honour his words and there is a feeling of sadness that I had to stand. But I had to do it to prove a point," Dalmiya said.
Bhattacharjee had made an unusual public statement last month that he wanted Dalmiya to stay out of the July 30 CAB presidential race and asked Sports Minister Subhash Chakraborty to convey his message to Dalmiya.
Dalmiya said he had suggested several alternatives to Chakraborty but the government did not find them acceptable.
"We discussed a lot of possibilities and I came up with some alternative suggestions. But they neither accepted them, nor did they come up with any formula for solution."
Chakraborty then washed his hands off the matter, openly admitting that he had failed to carry out the task given to him by the Chief Minister. Dalmiya then filed his nomination on July 21, a day before the process came to an end.
Dalmiya said he had conveyed to Chakraborty that he needed a platform to fight the wrongs perpetrated on him by the BCCI, "and finally I had to give in to the wishes of the CAB members who have steadfastly supported me all these years.
It was because of them that I could reach the top of international cricket administration. They wanted me to continue, so, how could I say no to them?".
Speaking on Sourav Ganguly, he said, "There is a saying in Hindi 'jis ki lathi uski bhais' (one in power is the king) now I don't have the proverbial 'lathi' and people are leaving my side. So now relationships have strained," he said.
"But I will say he (Sourav) is a rare talent. He is a fabulous cricketer and whatever he has done he has done it by himself. I will stand by these words forever," he said.
"I will talk about all these a few years from now when I write about my life. You will know it, don't worry."
Speaking on BCCI cases he said: "They began with Rs 2.1 million and ended now with Rs 400 million. I have never got the documents and clarifications sought by me."