State Congress and CPI(M) have hailed the Supreme Court order sacking BCCI chief Anurag Thakur and Secretary Ajay Shirke as major step towards reforms in cricket body.
The removal of BCCI president Anurag Thakurhas come as a setback for the BJP which had all along defended the HPCA.
Himachal Pradesh Chief minister Virbhadra Singh said that he had nothing to say on the judgment and the matter was between the Supreme Court and the BCCI but the sports bodies must act according to rules and regulations.
"I am not against cricket or any other game but the sports bodies should function in a transparent way", he said.
Former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, who is also father of Anurag Thakur (MP), said the apex court's judgement was not against any individual but the entire BCCI but he would not like to comment on the judgement.
When asked that whether, it would become an issue in the coming assembly elections, Dhumal said that Anurag had done lot for cricket, especially for cricketers of Himachal and "Rampant corruption during the Congress regime and not the cricket would be the main election issue".
However, Youth Congress president Vikramaditya, who is also son of Virbhadra Singh hailed the Supreme Court verdict and said that after the apex court, the people of Himachal would also show him (Anurag Thakur) the door.
"Thakur has shamed Himachal by giving a false affidavit in the court and should also resign as MP on moral grounds", he told media persons.
Chief spokesman of HPCC, Naresh Chauhan said the actions of Thakur as HPCA chief and how he became the president and rose to the post of BCCI president are known to all but now the Supreme court has given its verdict in the interest of Cricket
State Secretariat of the CPIM has welcomed the decision of the apex court to remove the BCCI's president and said that the CPI(M) had always maintained that the sports, especially the cricket should be freed from the cricket mafias and cricket corporates.
"I had personally filed a writ which is pending in Himachal High Court, seeking democratisation of the HPCA and incidentally, the writ was filed long before the formation of the Lodha committee and its recommendations and interestingly both the writ petition and the recommendations of Lodha committee are quite congruent," said Secretariat member and Deputy Mayor of Shimla municipal corporation, Tikender Singh Panwar.
Terming the decision as historic, which will surely help in weaning out corrupt elements with corporate interests from the helm of affairs, the CPI(M) also demanded democratisation of HPCA in the state and said the state government must ensure action against HPCA for allegedly converting the HPCA Society into a company.
Coming down heavily on the defiant BCCI brass, the apex Court today removed Anurag Thakur and Ajay Shirke as President and Secretary for "obstructing" and "impeding" its directions for overhauling governance in the cricket body, which will now be overseen by a committee of administrators.
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