Chetan Sharma resigns from selection committee chairman's post
New Delhi (PTI): Former India pace bowler Chetan Sharma has resigned from the post of chairman of the senior selection committee following a sting operation by a news channel, where he was allegedly seen revealing confidential information.
"Yes, Chetan has tendered his resignation to BCCI secretary Jay Shah and his resignation has been accepted. His position had become untenable after the sting operation. He resigned voluntarily and wasn't asked to resign," a senior BCCI source told PTI on condition of anonymity on Friday.
Chetan Sharma was in Kolkata along with other selection committee members for the Ranji Trophy final between Bengal and Saurashtra. They were there to select the Irani Cup team.
During the sting operation, conducted by Zee News, Chetan was seen alleging that a lot of players take injections to expedite their return to competitive cricket despite being 80-85 per cent fit.
The former India pace bowler also alleged that there was a difference of opinion between him and the team management over pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah's return from a stress fracture for the T20I series against Australia in September.
He also claimed that T20I captain Hardik Pandya, pace bowler Umesh Yadav and Deepak Hooda regularly visited him at his residence.
Chetan also spoke about the relationship between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma and alleged that there was an ego tussle between Kohli and former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly.
It is learnt that Chetan's comments did not go down well with the BCCI top brass, and the current national squad members also lost their trust in him.
"Coach Rahul Dravid, captains Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya have completely lost faith in him. He couldn't have possibly sat across the table along with them for selection committee meetings as he had lost all respect. He paid the price for being a big mouth," said another BCCI source.
Chetan and the entire selection committee had earlier been sacked following India's semi-final exit in the T20 World Cup in Australia. He re-applied for the post and was re-appointed as chairman.
Chetan, a handy pace bowler, who played when Kapil Dev was at the helm of Indian cricket, is India's first hat-trick man in ODI World Cup. Chetan is best remembered for Pakistan's Javed Miandad hitting him for a last-ball six during the 1986 Asia Cup final in Sharjah.
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Women BJP MLAs protest against opposition in UP assembly premises
Lucknow (PTI): Women BJP MLAs held a protest in the Vidhan Bhawan complex before the one-day special session of Uttar Pradesh assembly, slamming the opposition for defeating the passage of a bill, which would have led to implementation of the Women's Reservation Law, in the Lok Sabha.
This followed another demonstration by Samajwadi Party MLAs, who alleged that the BJP was misleading public in the name of women's reservation.
The women BJP legislators assembled in front of Chaudhary Charan Singh's statue in the assembly premises, holding banners inscribed with the slogan "Insult to Matrushakti (women's power), India will not tolerate it". The protesting members entered the main hall of Vidhan Bhawan carrying the banners.
Participating in the protest, the state Minister for Women Welfare and Child Development, Baby Rani Maurya, told reporters that all opposition parties, including the Samajwadi Party and the Congress, had opposed the women's reservation, a stance for which they would have to pay a heavy political price.
"On this issue, all of us women stand united. We will ensure that we secure our reservation," she said.
BJP MLA Ketki Singh remarked that their protest represents the collective outrage of millions of women across the state.
Singh asserted that the opposition has betrayed women by creating hurdles in the path of women's reservation. The current demonstration is merely the beginning, and very soon, women from every street, intersection and household will join the protest movement, she said.
Minister Vijaylakshmi Gautam said, "We strongly condemn the despicable act committed by the Samajwadi Party and the Congress in an attempt to hold back 'half the population' (women). Their action was directed against the very bill that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had introduced to empower and strengthen Nari Shakti (women's power), and which he strived to pass expeditiously."
Uttar Pradesh assembly is holding a one-day special session on Thursday. During the session, the government is set to move a censure motion against the opposition parties over their failure to pass the Constitution Amendment Bill, which would have led to implementation of the Women's Reservation Act, in the Lok Sabha.
