Wadekar 'roles' on

Faisal Shariff

Ajit Laxman Wadekar (b. 1941, Bombay) could well pass off as an actor. Considering the number of roles he has played on the cricket stage that doesn't sound like an exaggeration.

Captain, manager-coach and chairman of selectors, Wadekar has played all the roles. And he still wants another. The office of the president of the Mumbai Cricket Association is his new plundering ground.

He is not a man of many words, and rations them out in just the proper portions to get his message across. But talk to him about his candidature, and why he is a better bet than Sharad Pawar, the other man in the race for the for the hot seat, and there is a surfeit of statements.

To check out his vision for Bombay cricket, I called him up the other day. The conversation ran thusly:

Excerpts:

Pawar promises to resolve the Garware Club House issue once and for all, if elected. How do you plan to tackle the issue?

Is he aware that this is an old matter going back to ten years? He was the Garware Club House president when the whole incident occurred. How can he be on one side when the incident occurred and then tell the MCA that he will sort it out if they elect him as their president?

The matter is subjudice. How can Sharad Pawar say that he will sort it out? Is he above the law of the land or is he going to influence the court?

We had appointed an arbitrator, Justice Lentin, in the matter, but unfortunately he passed away. He has however completed all the arbitrations and the procedures, now we just need to appoint another arbitrator and then the decision will hopefully be decided in our favour.

Pawar says that a total of nine crores has been spent on the legal battle between the Garware Club House and the MCA. As far as the MCA is considered we have spent only 1.5 crores on the legalities. That means the GCH has spent 7.5 crores on the legalities, that's five times what the MCA has spent, while he was the president."

He then moves on to his vision for Bombay cricket.

If made president, I will:
· Look into the woes of the maidans.
· Help junior cricketers.
· Develop a second line of cricketers. Develop the bench strength.
· Provide facilities for suburban children to practice.

The 16 years that I captained Bombay, we lifted the Ranji Trophy 15 times. I want to regain that lost glory for Bombay.

What are your achievements in all these years as vice-president of the MCA?

We won the West Zone tournament. We also won the under-14 tournaments. Facilities at Cross and Azad maidan have been improved. The under-19 teams are being looked after. Shivaji Park has been done up again.

How do you plan to solve the electronic scoreboard issue?

The scoreboard is now a piece of junk. It cannot be repaired. I will help reduce the losses. The loss of eight crores can be brought down to four crores through some fruitful discussions.

Sharad Pawar is an astute politician and an administrator. What are your qualifications?

It's not fair to say that cricketers can't be administrators. I deserve a fair chance; after all, I am the executive director of State Bank of India. I was general manager of SBI and had 800 branches under me. That should give you an idea of my administrative skills.

What are Pawar's credentials as an administrator? He is the president of the Maharashtra Olympic Association. Ask him how many meetings has he attended in the years he has been in charge? After seven years he attended an Annual General Meeting last year. In the 10 years that he has been president of the Garware Club House, he has attended only three meetings. Pawar is Prime Minister stuff. He should be in Delhi. What is he doing here?

Aren't you using political connections to further your own cause?

I am not using political connections to further my cause. The Shiv Sena is backing me because Balasaheb is an ardent cricket fan himself. He is from my area and he loves the sport. He always used to come to the ground to watch the matches. It is only now that he cannot move about that much; it is due to security reasons that he doesn't come to the grounds. But he watches some of the games on video. Even Kanga League games interest him. Ask Pawar if he even knows what the Kanga League is?

A daily carried your statement, wherein you mentioned that the MCA is a Hindu organisation. You later cleared the air and said you were misquoted. What was the entire affair?

It was an interview I did with the Shiv Sena's newspaper, Saamna. I had said that the MCA is a premier institution of Hindustan. These people always hear the Hindu in everything they hear. They should have clarified with me. They didn't; so the next day I got them to print a clarification. That was all. I cannot be a communal man. I have played for India with Abid Ali, Nawab of Pataudi and Syed Kirmani. How can I ever discriminate between a Hindu and a Muslim?

There is another allegation that you have never brought a single advertisement for the MCA from State Bank of India.

How can I ask my company for favours like these? You tell me. But I have got Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited to give jobs to young aspiring cricketers. Roofit, another company, has also been offering jobs to cricketers.

Will the Madhavan Inquiry have any adverse effect on your campaign?

Why should it? I have done no wrong. My name hasn't appeared in the CBI report; I am clean. I think it was very badly timed and it was not necessary. All they keep asking me about is Azhar's watch, which was presented to me. I have time and again cleared the matter. It was a complete waste of my time.

Is the Mahaddalkar group formed to dilute your vote bank?

That is not correct. They are, in fact, supporting my candidature. They have made a joint appeal with our group.

After India won its first ever Test against the Englishmen in England, The Sun wrote: "Old Stone Face stood in front of the balcony and smiled. He might never stop smiling for the rest of his life."

Come Friday, January 19, will the smile return on Wadekar's face?

Design: Devyani Chandwarkar
Illustration: Dominic Xavier