Jagmohan Dalmiya at the CAB on Friday

Calcutta: The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Jagmohan Dalmiya said on Friday that he does not expect loyalty any more since he is no longer in power at the Board. At a press conference, Dalmiya said he did not wish to be dragged into the e-mail controversy, and denied all charges made by Sourav Ganguly against his association.

“I’m no longer in power in the BCCI? Since I have nothing much to give, I no longer expect loyalty,” Dalmiya said.

On Sourav’s allegation that there were people in the CAB who played with a player’s career, Dalmiya said: “Let someone write to the association. CAB is a body and not an individual.”

But isn’t he the most powerful man in the CAB? “I don’t know who is writing to whom,” Dalmiya said.

Did such allegations from his one-time prot?g? hurt him? “I’ve got no answers. You are saying that he was my prot?g?. So, you go and ask him...”

Dalmiya appeared startled when asked about Sourav’s e-mail. “Again an e-mail? We are yet to get over the last mail! Let everyone see that you (the media) are leaking it and not me.”

Dalmiya repeatedly said that he didn’t wish to comment on Sourav’s e-mail, but with questions on the issue increasing by the minute, he became agitated and refused to take any more querries.

Dalmiya once again denied involvement in the Greg Chappell e-mail leak which took place in end-September last year when the Board AGM was being held in the city. “I’m not in a position to explain Sourav’s charges. I wasn’t involved in the leak. Only people who were involved can answer this question.

“Chappell had made it clear at the meeting in Mumbai that I was one of the intended recipients, but he could not send it to me.”

Dalmiya said he considered Sourav a “fine cricketer” and Prasun Mukherjee a “perfect gentleman”.

Dalmiya, who filed his nomination on Friday, didn’t wish to get into details of the past few days. “My dealings with the sports minister are confidential and not for public domain.

“There were issues that couldn’t be resolved. But the overwhelming support I’ve received from the members made me file my papers and strengthened my resolve to fight.

“And when you are working in a group, you have to give in whether you like it or not. In democracy there are no challenges.”