Joining issue with BCCI's ruling faction over Greg Chappell's recent disparaging comments on Sourav Ganguly, Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Jagmohan Dalmiya on Friday claimed that the Australian had violated the BCCI code of conduct and sought to know the action the BCCI proposed to take against the Team India coach.
Rubbishing the Board's stand that unlike the players, the coach was not covered under any BCCI code of conduct, Dalmiya pointed out that the "Regulations for Players and Officials" adopted by the Board in 2000 applied to the coach as well.
Ridiculing Board Secretary Niranjan Shah for his comment that the Board was helpless in taking action against Chappell for giving the controversial interview to the British newspaper 'The Guardian', Dalmiya pointed out that the coach was covered under the definition of team official as per the book.
The former BCCI chief, who is now the leading light of the opposition faction, claimed that the Indian team coach had violated clause 3.2.9 of the Regulations by commenting upon an international cricketer who had not yet retired from international cricket.
Dalmiya, briefing newspersons after a CAB working committee meeting where the latest episode in Chappell-Ganguly conflict was discussed, claimed that the Australian was repeatedly targeting the former Indian skipper.
"The working committee felt that this is not a freak incident. Such things are happening repeatedly. Such onslaught from the coach makes it difficult for the player to concentrate on the game, more so when the cricketer is fighting to make a comeback," Dalmiya said.
"We feel the Board should have acted against Chappell as per the rulebook. And they should not have limited themselves to giving a mere piece of advice to him," said Dalmiya.
After Ganguly lodged a formal complaint with the Board on the issue, the BCCI sent an e-mail to the coach warning him not to make 'unwarranted' remarks in the media about the left-hander and instead confine his comments to the 'performance of the team'.
"Going by the statement of the Honorary Secretary, we felt the rule book was not properly referred to," Dalmiya said.
While stressing that the CAB did not want to prescribe the quantum of punishment to be handed to Chappell, Dalmiya said, "We want them to take a decision on the basis of the rule book."
The working committee, which discussed the matter as an emergent issue, passed a resolution authorising CAB Joint Secretary Saradindu Pal to write to his BCCI counterpart seeking to know the action the Board proposed to take against Chappell for violating the provisions in the said clause.
Dalmiya clarified that the CAB had no intention to use the issue to settle scores with the BCCI which show-caused the former Board chief earlier this week for allegedly failing to furnish enough records and details about the transactions in the PILCOM (organising body of the 1996 World Cup) account.
"Ganguly is more important to us than BCCI politics. No harm should be done to him," said Dalmiya.
