Jyotiraditya Scindia became the second highly influential member of the Indian cricket board after its former president Inderjit Singh Bindra to call for board chief N. Srinivasan's resignation over the spot fixing scandal in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Scindia, chairman of the finance committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and a union minister for power, said that Srinivasan should step aside until the investigations reached a conclusive end.
Srinvasan's son-in-law and Chennai Super Kings' chief executive Gurunath Meiyappan has been arrested by the Mumbai police for his alleged involvement in spot fixing in the IPL.
"Let me say this that I, for not even a moment, am assuming or saying that anyone is guilty. But considering the environment that is around cricket today, considering the fact that we do need to cleanse the sport in every single meaning of the word, I do believe that it would be in the fitness of things if Mr.Srinivasan did step aside until this matter reached a conclusive end in terms of an inquiry," Scindia, son of former president late Madhavrao Scindia, told Times Now.
Scindia, who is also on the disciplinary committee that is probing former IPL chairman Lalit Modi, said Srinivasan, whose term expires in September, can come back and take over after his son-in-law is absolved off all the charges.
"If he and his family members, or rather his son-in-law, is absolved, then surely he can come back. But considering the environment that cricket is in today, I do think that if you combine the fact of a conflict of interest and his own family member being involved in an ongoing investigation, it is in the fitness of things and more from a spirit point of view and propriety point of view, I do believe that he should step aside," said Scindia.
Scindia's comments came after Srinivasan said that no board member has called for his resignation.
Former board president Bindra, who also heads the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA), has also asked Srinivasan to step down pending enquiry.
