By Qaiser Mohammad Ali
New Delhi, Oct 26 (IANS) If elected treasurer of the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) in next month’s election, Pawan Gulati, a maternal uncle of former India captain Gautam Gambhir, would “fight the good fight” and try and resolve as many long-standing financial issues as possible.
Gulati, an advocate, is contesting against Shashi Khanna, the wife of CK Khanna, a former acting president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and a DDCA vice-president, in the elections that will take place from November 5-8.
“Post elections we will sit down together and discuss the necessary issues. DDCA is a sporting club and it should be known for that than anything else. That should be the objective; that’s my primary objective. As an individual and as a member of the DDCA that’s what I look to achieve,” Gulati told IANS.
Rohan Jaitley, son of late union minister Arun Jaitley who has been elected DDCA president unopposed, had earlier told IANS that he would put all the financial dealings of the association in the public domain though its website.
What is Gulati’s plan for the financial mess that the DDCA has always been embroiled in?
“That’s a different challenge. And that makes the proposition even more difficult. But we will fight the good fight,” he said.
Gambhir is believed to have played a big role in convincing Gulati to contest the elections. And Gulati says his association with late Arun Jaitley was also instrumental in his agreeing to jump into the fray.
“We [DDCA members] all have been silent spectators. But there comes a time when one kind of…so this is kind of dedication to Arun ji. I knew him for many years. And knowing that Rohan was stepping in, the whole idea was to make his hands stronger and have a strong president in place,” Gulati said.
“It was a mutual understanding. But nobody forced me into it. The moment Rohan’s name came forward, a discussion took place. He said ‘why don’t you step in?’ Like I said it’s my small tribute to Arun ji. He was very passionate about the game. If I do succeed (in the elections) the idea is to do something good, and carry on with his legacy,” he said.
Gulati said handling the financial numbers wouldn’t be a problem for him.
“I have been a DDCA member for a long time. And now I intend to enter the administrative side, and once I am there it would take me some time to understand the dynamics of the place, the actual working. I think, so far, most of us have been silent observers,” he said.
“So once I step in – and thankfully I do understand a little bit of accounts – we will kind of figure out things. I will take things as they come and try and resolve as many issues as we can. Accounts has been my subject and I am a bachelor of commerce, so I understand a little bit of accounts,” said Gulati, who practices in the Delhi High Court.
Elections will be held for six posts, including those of the president and the treasurer. The other four posts are of DDCA directors.
–IANS
qma/kh/bg