Bangalore: The KSCA led by its new President, cricketer Anil Kumble and General Secretary Javagal Srinath, has been taking the butt of criticism from ICC, cricket fans, and now MLAs in the legislative Assembly.A pandemonium prevailed in the legislature this morning (March 4), when MLAs criticized the KSCA authorities for the fiasco in selling ordinary tickets and lathi charge made by Police on those waiting long and demanding tickets for the India Vs. England match held early this week.
After zero hour, Speaker K.G.Bopaiah allowed 30 minutes for a discussion on black-marketing in tickets at exorbitant rates by LSCA officials who were caught. Cutting across party lines, MLAs hammered the KSCA management in the scandal created on sale of tickets priced at Rs.200/-, and selling only 1,000 instead of 5,000 tickets so as to oblige KSCA members’ families and friends.
The MLAs complained to the Speaker that Anil Kumble’s KSCA had shown disrespect to them. Congress MLA P.M.Ashok was very vocal to express that MLAs did not count as much as BBMP corporators and families.
MLA Ashok charged the KSCA of issuing Rs.10 lakh worth tickets to KSCA Management Committee member Dr.P.Dayananda Pai, Hotlier adananda Mayya Rs.5 lakh worth tickets, 120 tickets to Rahul Dravid, 100 tickets to Venkatesh Prasad, 100 tickets to ex-cricketer Vijay Bharadwaj, 100 tickets to S.Somasunder, 100 to Shrinivasa Prasad and similarly pampered many others of KSCA with tickets, while common people waited night long to buy a single ticket on a queue.
300 tickets meant for Dt. Cricket Associations were not given at all, Ashok revealed. He demanded a serious enquiry into this disorderly conduct of cricketers in KSCA, who had no sympathy for fans.
Answering his charges, CM Yeddyurappa intervened to say that the match was a boon transferred from Kolkata to enable local enthusiasts to see here. He promised to set right the lapses. Both KSCA men and MLAs would be called to a meeting soon, to rectify wrongs done he added.
Congress MLAs were not satisfied with such a reply but they demanded a full scale enquiry into the scandal in ticket sales. The hot debate ended, when CM agreed to correct the lapses by calling in KSCA top officials. Siddaramaiah also spoke, against lathi charge on common fans.