Roger Binny to replace Ganguly as BCCI president, Jay Shah to remain secretary
New Delhi (PTI): India's 1983 World Cup-winning hero Roger Binny is set to become the new BCCI President as incumbent Sourav Ganguly, who held the position for three years, will make way for him at the Board's AGM on October 18.
After hectic parleys and back-channel discussions in the past one week, it was decided that the 67-year-old Bangalore man would be the 36th Board president.
Jay Shah, son of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, will continue as BCCI Secretary for his second consecutive term. Shah will also replace Ganguly as India's representative at the all powerful ICC Board.
The only Congressman in the BCCI cabinet is Rajeev Shukla, who will continue as vice president. Sports minister Anurag Thakur's younger brother Arun Singh Dhumal will now become IPL chairman. He will replace Brijesh Patel.
Influential Maharashtra BJP leader Ashish Shelar will be the new treasurer which means that he won't become Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) president. He was supposed to take up the role with support from Sharad Pawar faction.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's close aide Devajit Saikia will replace Jayesh George as the new joint secretary.
Whether BCCI will contest for the ICC chairmanship hasn't been decided as yet.
"An influential minister in the central government played a key role in deciding the positions in the Board set up," a BCCI source told PTI.
Binny will officially take charge of BCCI on October 18 at the AGM in Mumbai. There won't be any election to any post as all candidates will be chosen unopposed.
The medium pacer was one of the architects of India's historic World Cup triumph in 1983. In eight games, he took 18 wickets, the highest in that edition of the prestigious tournament.
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Catholic Bishops' body slams Bhagwat's remarks
New Delhi: The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India on Thursday slammed RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat for his reported remark that Pranab Mukherjee, when he was President, had said tribals would turn "anti-national" if there is no "ghar wapsi"Catholic Bishops.'
In a statement issued here, CBCI, a body of Catholic Bishops, referred to reports which said Bhagwat, at an event on Monday, claimed that Mukherjee, while he was President had appreciated ghar wapsi and told him that had it not been for the Sangh's work on reconversion, a section of Adivasis would have turned "anti-national".The CBCI called the report "shocking".
"Fabricated personal conversation being attributed to a former president of India and its posthumous publication with the vested interest of an organization with questionable credibility raises a grave issue of national importance," the CBCI claimed.
"Is it not the violent ghar wapsi program of VHP and other similar organizations, curtailing the exercise of freedom of conscience of economically deprived tribals, the real anti-national activity?" it asked.
'Ghar wapsi' is a term used by the RSS and affiliated organisations to refer to reconversion of Muslims and Christians to Hinduism, based on the belief that they were originally Hindus before converting to other religions.
The CBCI also questioned why Bhagwat did not speak about it while Mukherjee was alive.
"We, the 2.3 percent of Indian citizens who are Christians feel extremely hurt by such manipulated and motivated propaganda unleashed," it said.
In a post on X following the statement issued by CBCI, Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien said, "Speak up. This is a start!"
"Bishops body have issued a statement condemning remarks made by Dr Mohan Bhagwat and RSS for defaming the Christian community," he said.
O'Brien added that they should ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi more questions, including why Christmas Day has been turned into "Good Governance Day".
The TMC leader, in a blogpost earlier this month, had said "hard questions" must be asked to the government with regards to the Christian community, including why the FCRA has been 'weaponised', and why has Manipur been 'ignored'.
