Madhavan to go easy on Jadeja, Mongia?

While BCCI supercop K Madhavan refuses to make any comment at all about the contents of the report on match-fixing that he has submitted to the Board, well-informed sources indicate that the former CBI joint director has opted to soft-pedal in regard to Ajay Jadeja and Nayan Mongia.

While Madhavan's report will confirm that Manoj Prabhakar and Ajay Jadeja had connections with various bookies, he will give the two cricketers benefit of the doubt when it comes to their involvement in match-fixing. A similar courtesy is also extended to Nayan Mongia.

If true, what this does is pave the way for the three disgraced players to be let off with a light slap on the wrist. Further, it opens up a very real possibility that Jadeja will find his way back into the national team, sooner or later.

Board president Dr A C Muthiah, meanwhile, flew into Delhi this morning for informal discussions with members of the BCCI's disciplinary committee. The board president has been sounding out the committee's opinion, informally, on the contents of the Madhavan report. A formal meeting of the disciplinary committee will be held in Delhi on Tuesday, and the recommendations coming out of that meeting will be placed before an emergency meeting of the entire executive committee, in Calcutta on Wednesday.

Muthiah was not prepared to comment about the contents of the report, remarking merely that he had decided to give the five disgraced cricketers a chance to appear before the board and explain their conduct, before imposing penalties.

Muthiah is also scheduled to meet Federal Minister for Sports Uma Bharti this evening, in a bid to get her to reverse the government's decision to deny permission for the Indian cricket team to tour Pakistan later this year.

The minister, however, remains adamant. In a conversation with this correspondent, Ms Bharti said, "We have already taken our decision and informed the board. Decisions regarding foreign tours are taken by the external affairs ministry. The matter has been discussed at the highest levels, I have personally informed Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee about the sentiments of the people in this regard. It was after our discussions, and consultations with External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh, that the government took its decision, and there is no question of reconsidering it."

When asked about the penalities that the International Cricket Conference could impose on the BCCI if the tour is called off, Ms Bharti said, "The ICC's actions are not the concern of the government," adding that the decision was taken in the national interest, and no outside agency had any say in the matter.

Meanwhile, anger is building up within ruling party circles over the BCCI's persistent attempts to get the go-ahead for a tour of Pakistan. Senior BJP leaders expressed the opinion that those calling for the tour to go ahead should hang their heads in shame. "They are talking of our team playing cricket there, while innocent people continue to be killed by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir," a senior party leader fumed, expressing the mood within his party on the subject.

There is anger, too, among CBI officials over what the agency sees as a concerted attempt to discredit its findings. Top CBI officials said they preferred to withhold comment on the Madhavan report until it is actually released for the media and the public. However, CBI officials who were part of the probe took exception to former BCCI president Raj Singh Dungarpur's recent essay in sarcasm. "It seems the CBI knows more about cricket than I do," Dungarpur had said recently.

"We definitely know more about cricket than the gentleman," a senior CBI official commented. "And if he wishes to test our knowledge, we challenge him to a one on one debate with any of us."

Meanwhile, Uma Bharti for her part said that she would reserve all comment on the Madhavan report. "I will wait for the board president to give me a copy this evening, and will comment only after studying it," the minister said.

Mail Cricket Editor