Ending years of feud, AICF and Chess Association of India announce merger
Lucknow, Aug 21: Putting an end to internal fighting, the All-India Chess Federation and the breakaway Chess Association of India on Saturday announced that they have merged into one single entity to administer the sport in the country.
Players and administrators welcomed the move and said it would pave way for the development of the sport.
AICF president Sanjay Kapoor said that the warring factions, not only at the national level but also in various states, have now come together under the umbrella of the federation.
"I have personally had several rounds of talks with all the stakeholders and have brought everybody on the same platform for the development of chess and all the chess players in the country," Kapoor was quoted as saying in a press release.
"Like other federations, we too are struggling to organise our annual events and championships due to the Covid pandemic and could not afford to let our internal differences derail the sport even more," he added.
AICF secretary Bharat Singh Chauhan said, "Once we formed the new body, one of our first goals was to address all the concerns of every member and bring everybody together for the sake of the sport."
Apart from the wrangling at the national level, chess has suffered a great deal in Uttar Pradesh too, with two different bodies - UP Chess Association and UP Chess Sports Association - at loggerheads in the state.
"This has been a long-running feud and as I myself am from Kanpur, I believed it was my duty to resolve this problem on a priority. Today, I am happy to announce that both the groups are here," Kapoor said.
UP Chess Association president P C Chaturvedi (IAS Retd), Sr Vice President of Chess Association of India S L Harsh, and Secretary General of Chess Association of India and Secretary, UP Chess Association SK Tewari were all present at the press conference.
Chess Grandmaster Abhijit Kunte welcomed the move and hoped that all parties will work together for the development of the game.
"It's a good thing that the 16-year old dispute has ended. AICF was facing around 100-odd cases in the last few years, hopefully the number will come down. And all parties will put in the efforts for the development of chess. The sports fraternity is facing a challenging situation," Kunte told PTI.
A few other players also welcomed the move and said it bodes well for the future of chess in India.
Meanwhile, a veteran administrator said the AICF and Chess Association of India merger was good for the sport and hoped it would pave the way for greater development in the country.
"It is a good thing. Whenever a breakaway group returns to the parent body, it is welcome. It bodes well for the sport and results in expectations that chess will grow further in India," he added.
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Karnataka Assembly passes bill on Palace Grounds amid opposition protest
Bengaluru, Mar 6 (PTI): The Karnataka Assembly on Thursday passed the Bangalore Palace (Utilisation and Regulation of Land) Bill, reaffirming state ownership over 472 acres and 16 guntas of land here, amid protests by the opposition BJP.
During the discussion, Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said the state government would have to provide Rs 200 crore worth of Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) for each acre of land, which means that for 15 acres, Rs 3,000 crore worth of TDR would be issued.
“If we accept it, then this 2-km stretch of road will become the costliest road in the world. If we accept it then how are we going to develop the city in later stages? How will you carry out development works?” asked Patil.
He also pointed out that this question was raised not only under the Congress government but also during the previous BJP regime.
However, the BJP-led cabinet has opposed the project.
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“Suppose we agree to it then, what will be the valuation of the 472 acres? It will be lakhs and lakhs of crores of rupees. Can we accept?” Patil wondered.
The Minister said the government had previously exercised its executive powers to issue an ordinance, which was approved by the Governor. Now the government is bringing a bill with two amendments.
“In this bill, we have made provisions either to develop or drop the road development work,” Patil explained.
However, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra and BJP MLA Arvind Bellad opposed the move, alleging that the government was targetting Yaduveer Krishna Datta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the scion of the Mysuru royal family, and the BJP MP from Mysuru-Kodagu constituency out of political vendetta.
“We talk of 472 acres of Mysuru Maharaja but here there are many Maharajas who too own 400 acres, 500 acres and thousands of acres of land, which is known to everyone,” Bellad said.
He slammed the Congress government, saying political power should not be misused for personal vendetta.
“Why (the then Deputy Chief Minister) Siddaramaiah brought the law in 1996 pertaining to the Bangalore Palace? Why are you setting eyes on the Bangalore Palace?” he asked.
Vijayendra charged that Wadiyar won the election on BJP ticket so the state government realised that it should acquire it.
“This bill has been brought for political vengeance. We are not discussing whether Rs 3,000 crore is exorbitant or not but the moment Yaduveer became MP, the state government woke up. You should be ashamed. This house should not be used for political vendetta,” he said.
Intervening, Minister Priyank Kharge said Vijayendra should not have raised it because the intention behind building the road was noble.
According to him, the BJP too had the same plan when it was in power.
He sought to know whether thousands of crores of rupees be spent on a road which should have cost significantly less.
In response, BJP MLA B A Basavaraj (Byrathi) said issuing TDR will not be a burden on the state government and appealed to the ruling Congress to reconsider its stance.
Minister Ramalinga Reddy too explained that the Karnataka government acquired the entire land way back in 1996.
The Mysuru royal family went to the High Court, which gave ruling in favour of the state government. The royal family then approached the Supreme Court, where the case is still going on, the Minister pointed out.
“The final judgment is pending in the SC to decide whether the acquisition was right or wrong. If the SC says it’s the royal family’s property then let it be so. If the order is in the state government’s favour then we can take a decision. The bill is only about it,” Reddy explained.
Speaker U T Khader then called for a voice vote and the bill was passed by the Assembly amidst opposition BJP’s discontent.
