India sports minister issues cricket blueprint
Maken says banning the IPL is not the answer and calls for former players and not politicians to run the game
New Delhi: Indian sports minister Ajay Maken feels banning the Indian Premier League is not the solution and has revealed his blueprint for how the game should be run.
According to Maken, no politician should manage cricketing affairs, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the IPL should be subject to the Right to Information Act and 25 per cent of the BCCI management should be reserved for former cricketers.
Lastly, Maken wants to see the BCCI and the IPL distance themselves from each other.
"Banning is not the solution. I think we should rectify the anomalies," Maken said.
Maken refused to reveal the names of his fellow politicians he feels are playing an active role in Indian cricket, but said they should leave the job of running the game to cricketers.
"I would not go into the names but the names cut across party lines," he said.
"Please leave the game of cricket to the people who have specialised knowledge of the game. Politicians should do their own job in parliament.
"...and let BCCI and IPL be away from each other. Unless you do these things, you will be having these controversies coming up and a credibility crisis in days to come."
