Jul 25, 2006, 17:28 GMT
Kolkata, July 25 (IANS) Former West Bengal chief minister Jyoti Basu, who was critical of Kolkata's top cop contesting the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) elections, Tuesday said he had nothing to do with the poll to the state cricket body.
'I am not involved in this in any way,' Basu told IANS at a function at the Animal Shelter cum Hospital and Research Institute (ASHARI) here, reacting to a query on his opinion about every minister in the state getting involved in the CAB elections, heading for an action-packed finale on July 30.
Basu, who unveiled a plaque of an international recognition to the veterinary hospital here, had criticised Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya's involvement in the CAB elections and expressed reservations about Prasun Mukherjee's decision to contest the elections despite the responsibility of a city police commissioner in maintaining law and order.
Bhattacharya had publicly favoured Mukherjee's candidature, and asked ace administrator and incumbent CAB president Jagmohan Dalmiya not to contest the poll.
Though Basu, 93, remained non-committal, his protégé, West Bengal Sports Minister Subhas Chakraborty has upped the ante by openly supporting Dalmiya and calling the state's cricket icon Sourav Ganguly an 'opportunist' for back-stabbing Dalmiya despite taking favours from the ace cricket administrator to climb the ladder of success.
Ganguly last week ditched his former mentor and came out in support of the anti-Dalmiya group. The deposed India captain, without naming Dalmiya, said those responsible for leaking e-mails should not be supported.
He was referring to the leak into media of an e-mail from India coach Gerg Chappell last year in which the Australian had criticised Ganguly.
Chakraborty, however, said Monday that Dalmiya was not behind the e-mail leak.
On Tuesday, Ashok Bhattacharya, West Bengal's urban development minister and a close associate of Ganguly came out in support of the beleaguered cricketer by flaying the ministers who called him an opportunist.
'I don't think this is right. People are saying that they helped Sourav in making a place for himself in the cricket team. The fact is that Sourav is a great player,' Bhattacharya said.
Meanwhile, the chief minister, on a sticky wicket after the tables were turned against Sourav, is keeping a silence.
The CAB election has divided the Left Front government like never before on any other issue.
© 2006 Indo-Asian News Service
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