100 Bihar cricketers protest outside Jagmohan Dalmiya’s residence
Kolkata: Alleging 'step motherly' attitude by the Indian cricket board, about 100 odd present and former cricketers under the banner of Bihar Players Association on Saturday demonstrated outside BCCI chief Jagmohan Dalmiya's residence demanding full membership for the state.
Headed by Mritunjay Tiwary, BPA also threatened to "lock up" the BCCI Headquarters in Mumbai and sit on strike if they were not given any immediate assurance after the protest.
"For 14 years, there has been no cricket in Bihar after the full membership was gone. "There's no future for Bihar cricketers, thousands of talents are nipped in the bud for lack of exposure," Tiwary told PTI.
Bihar Cricket Players Association protests outside BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya's residence in Kolkata pic.twitter.com/Cuc2KFrGN0
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 25, 2015"If we do not find any solution, we will gather 1000 cricketers at the Cricket Centre in Mumbai and lock up the office," Tiwary said.
Displaying placards of 'we want justice for Bihar cricketers' and 'Start cricket in Bihar', they encircled the 10 Alipore Road residence for about half an hour before police dispersed them.
Their only demand is to promote cricket in Bihar, which, they claimed, had stopped two years after they were given associate members recognition in 2008.
After the bifurcation from Jharkhand State Cricket Association in 2001, Bihar were a full member till September when Dalmiya led BCCI had disaffiliated Bihar and in 2008 BCCI annual general meeting the state were granted associate membership.
Tiwary claimed that since 2010, all the BCCI-run tournaments for the associates have stopped as they have resorted to protest with support of the state government.
"We have got full support of our chief minister Nitish Kumar and all the former cricketers. There are some states (Gujarat) with six crore population but they have three full member associations. We have 11 crore population but there's been a total neglect from the BCCI."
Bihar incidentally are a state of factions with Aditya Verma's Cricket Association of Bihar, Bihar Cricket Association led by Lalu Prasad Yadav and another goes by the name of ABC, Association of Bihar Cricket, among others.
"At present the affiliation is with the body headed by Laluji. I've no problem who heads the association. We just want justice for our cricketers who should not be deprived of cricket any costs. Being the parent body, it's the responsibility of BCCI."
