Life ban for 'match-fixers' not enough: BJP

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MAY 30. Breaking its silence on the cricket match- fixing scandal, the Bharatiya Janata Party today demanded a ``time-bound thorough probe'' to clear the clouds of suspicion hanging over those alleged to have taken large sums of money for match-fixing.

The party's view articulated by general secretary and spokesperson, Mr. M. Venkaiah Naidu, was that a ``life ban'' against the guilty on playing cricket for the country ``would not suffice''. Cricket affected the lives of millions of people who were involved in the game. An inquiry should first concentrate on allegations made against current players so that one way or another either *their guilt is fixed or their names cleared, and they can concentrate on playing the game.

Moving to politics, the party was not willing to put on record its disappointment with the results of the Assembly byelections. ``We have won a seat in Assam, and lost one in Uttar Pradesh,'' was Mr. Naidu's comment. Not much significance should be attached to the Uttar Pradesh election, where the party of the former Chief Minister, Mr. Kalyan Singh, snatched a victory from the Bahujan Samaj Party. However, the BJP vice-president, Mr. Jana Krishnamurthi, felt that though ``one swallow does not make a summer'' the humiliating defeat in Uttar Pradesh was a cause for concern and the party would certainly study the reasons for the loss. On the controversy related to the zero tax benefits accruing to the company in which the Finance Minister's daughter- in-law is an executive, Mr. Naidu claimed that Mr. Sinha was ``honest and upright'' and the party had ``full confidence in him.''

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : National
Previous : Cong.(I) condemns anti-terrorism Bill
Next     : Talks with Hurriat in 6 months: Advani