Former Indian cricket team captain Bishen Singh Bedi asked the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) to remove his name from the spectators' stand at the Arun Jaitley Stadium (formerly known as Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium) in Delhi. As Bedi represented Delhi in domestic cricket, Kotla was his home ground, and the association honoured the legendary spinner by naming a stand in the stadium in 2017. In an E-Mail to the association, Bedi explained that his decision was inspired by the news that DDCA will be erecting Arun Jaitley's statue, the former president of the association, at the stadium. Notably, Feroz Shah Kotla's name was changed to Arun Jaitley Stadium last year following the former Indian finance minister's death. DDCA to rename Feroz Shah Kotla as Arun Jaitley Stadium.

Bedi said that he and Jaitley had an ‘unsavoury’ past and he’ll not like to have a stand of his name at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. “I'm old enough to know that one doesn't talk ill of the dead. And I hope you are also old enough to be in the know of my personal relationship with Late Arun Jaitley was never quite on the same page. Let's say we weren't really cricketing buddies when he was the President of DDCA. My reservations about the choice of people he hand-picked to run the day to day affairs of DDCA is well known,” he wrote in the letter to DDCA. Gautam Gambhir Accuses Bishan Singh Bedi of Nepotism.

“It pains me no end to point out the far from flattering facts about DDCA's unsavoury past, but trust me it has a context. I was not raised to carry on the fight to the next generation. But I was also taught that if I firmly believe in taking a stand I must stick with it. But sadly this is how it has unfolded. Keep in mind, these are the ills of nepotism-you get blamed for decisions you weren't part of and you can't even give the excuse of absence,” Bedi added.

Bedi even went on to say that Jaitley’s tenure as DDCA President was filled with corruption and the fact isn’t hidden from many. “A mere google search would have helped to know that Late Arun Jaitley's tenure at DDCA was riddled with corruption. You being a lawyer should also know the cases of massive misappropriation of funds are still pending in courts,” he wrote further.

Pointing out the shortcomings in the Delhi Stadium, Bedi wrote: “Mr President if ever you get to travel to the cricket stadiums around the world you will find how aesthetically challenged Kotla is and how it lacks the grandeur of a Test Centre. You need to be educated that sports administrators don't need to be self serving,”

“Since DDCA doesn't understand this Universal cricket culture, I need to walk out of it. I can't be part of a stadium which has got its priorities so grossly wrong & where administrators get precedence over the cricketers. Please bring down my name from the stand with immediate effect,” he concluded.

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 23, 2020 12:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).