BCCI unhappy with Manohar: Patel

The Indian cricket board Thursday hit back its former president Shashank Manohar saying it has taken strong exception of his attempt to get his name expunged from the legal cases against the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel said the move by Manohar amounts to shirking responsibility.

"There was no question of affidavit (filed by Manohar in the Bombay High Court) being discussed. But (what was discussed) was the case fought by Shashank Manohar in his individual way, (capacity) leaving aside the other office bearers and the employees of BCCI. That thing was discussed. Members were not happy with the kind of thing that has happened," Patel said here at the Cricket Centre after a marketing committee meeting.

"BCCI rules and regulations and memorandum is very clear. The board is functioning under the superintendence (authority) of the president. The entire board is together on the issue. That is why, the issue was discussed in the AGM and the members have shown their displeasure," he added.

Manohar in his bid to clear his name from the cases filed against the BCCI by the Enforcement Directorate apparently had submitted an affidavit in the high court. The court has given relief to him and Aug 7 quashed and set aside a notice issued by ED that had directed Manohar to appear before the agency, which is looking into allegations of foreign exchange violations in the 2009 IPL tournament held in South Africa.

Manohar in an interview to a Mumbai daily blamed his successor Narayanaswami Srinivasan, who last Sunday was re-elected for a third year in office, for the mess in the BCCI and said he has lost the right to continue as the president.

Manohar said a few board members, including then interim chief Jagmohan Dalmiya, had approached him to contest against Srinivasan.

Reacting to Manohar's comments, Patel said: "I have not gone through the report but some media friends have told me and I was busy right through the morning (with marketing committee meeting)."

"I would like to say nothing more except that if any ex-BCCI official, before making any remarks about their colleagues on the Board, should have considered that BCCI is running with (the help of) all the office bearers."

"My personal view is that it is always the collective responsibility of all office bearers. One cannot absolve himself by leaving aside the others. I don't know much in detail about the issue but that is the only thing I can say," Patel said.

Patel said that the Board will not react immediately to Manohar's views.

"Nothing. Not right now. That thing is not possible in a day. This is just a media information. We will wait for the official remarks if it is available from Shashank Manohar. Then we will see."

"But Shashank Manohar is an ex-president, we can easily talk with him. It is not that we are not on talking terms. He is a good friend of mine," he added.