Expulsion unconstitutional, says Lele

Former Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary Jaywant Lele is crying foul after the Baroda Cricket Association expelled him for financial irregularities and administrative lapses.

In a telephonic interview to rediff.com from his residence in Baroda, Lele said, "This expulsion is unconstitutional. How can this decision be passed without running it through the committee?

"Kiran More and Chirayu Amin have concocted the financial details to oust me. Why else would they hold a press conference today when the case is up for hearing in the Baroda high court on Monday?"

Lele boasted that he had single-handedly brought sponsorship for the association and helped it financially. He claimed that he got Lalit Mody of Modi Entertainment to sponsor the Baroda team for Rs. 400,000 from 1994 to 1996.

"What money have I made? I still am a scooter man. I ride my Kinetic scooter around Baroda. I am not a greedy man," he argued.

"When I was BCCI secretary, I signed the deal for the Indian team with Pepsi. Main un dino hero tha [I was a hero those days] and, therefore, got Pepsi to sponsor the Baroda cricket team from 2000-2002 for Rs 21 lakhs.

"Please ask Chirayu Amin, the association president, what money he brought for the association.

Former joint secretary Pradeep Desai and former treasurer Ramesh Dalvi are the other expelled officials, according to BCA secretaries Kiran More and M Samarjeet Gaekwad said.

The charges against the trio include signing long-term agreements worth Rs 1.20 crore for three one-day internationals without the BCA managing committee's approval.

Lele argues that he was only in discussion with the sponsors and sent them a letter acknowledging the agreement.

"I wrote to them that I would get it approved by the committee. Ask them to show the document where it is signed."

On the allegation that Lele had purchased illegal property, which was actually a parking lot as per records of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation, Lele argued that it was the contractor who cheated the association.

"If the contractor is accepting his mistake and is ready to return the money what is the problem? How am I responsible for this?"

Lele scoffed at the accusation of misusing 800 complementary passes for the March 2001 one-day international match against South Africa in Baroda.

"How can one misuse complementary passes? You have to give these passes to commissioners, government officials and also to the Air Force people who permit the television channels to use their premises. At least I am not selling them like Kiran More, who sold passes of the India-England one-dayer in Mumbai last year in the black market."