Commenting on the detention of two Indian Premier League (IPL) players for their participation in a rave party in Mumbai on Sunday night, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker and former cricketer Kirti Azad on Monday said the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) were acting like Somalian pirates
"There is no sense of responsibility, BCCI is like Somalian pirates," Kirti Azad said.
Azad further said: "Some players go to rave parties and do whatever they feel like. This is not a small issue."
u00a0
"The situation is that......its about a larger issue because of the indiscipline ...I feel the political discipline that has come into cricket has spoiled the entire format of the game . I feel that it is necessary now to look into the foundation of all the root causes," he added.
u00a0
u00a0
Azad, who staged a dharna on Sunday to highlight the shenanigans of the IPL tournament, said that he is not against the format of the game, but was not in tune with the recent incidents taking place outside the ground after IPL matches.
u00a0
"There is no transparency now. The discipline has also finished following the untoward incidents that take place outside the ground. Who is responsible for all this?" asked Azad
u00a0
"Just think, what impression would these (unpleasing incidents) be leaving on the minds of youngsters, who want to play cricket for the country in future. Is this the message we want to give to our people through the game of cricket? Why doesn''t it take place in Test matches, ODI matches and even T20 World Cup matches? Why do we get to see it only here (in IPL). u00a0What have you exactly sold that you are quiet on the issue?" he added.
u00a0
Azad also sought an explanation from the finance ministry over alleged money-laundering cases linked to the IPL.
u00a0
"I would raise this issue again and again. We live in an independent India," he added.
u00a0
The IPL over the last week has been caught in a slew of controversies.
u00a0
First, there was a sting operation done by a TV channel that showed IPL players indulging in spot fixing. Then Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner Shah Rukh Khan''s ban from the Wankhede Stadium for five years following a scuffle with the guards.
u00a0
And then the arrest and subsequent release of Royal Challengers Bangalore player Luke Pomersbach on charges of molesting an Indian-American woman at the ITC Maurya Sheraton Hotel in Delhi.u00a0
