Uneven bounce: Nitish Kumar

Patna, April 4: Chief minister Nitish Kumar today took a dig at politicians’ involvement with cricketing bodies, saying the administration of sports should be left to the players.

“I am unable to understand why politicians who have neither played cricket nor are aware about the nuances of the sport delve into sports administration. They are better players of politics and they should stick to what they are good at,” Nitish told reporters on the sidelines of the janata darbar here today.

Nitish though chose not to single out anyone — his prime political rival Lalu Prasad once headed the Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) and is now its convenor. The BCA is now headed by Abdul Bari Siddiqui, leader of the Opposition in Bihar.

“I personally believe that the leaders have plenty of other work to do. They should focus on their work. I am not here to pick anyone for individual attack,” he said.

The NDA has its share of leaders actively involved in cricket administration. BJP leaders Arun Jaitley, considered close to Nitish, and Anurag Thakur head the cricket associations of Delhi and Himachal Pradesh respectively. Apart from the BJP leaders, Union minister Sharad Pawar now heads the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Siddiqui scoffed at Nitish’s criticism. “He (Nitish) simply has no awareness about the game,” he said. “Cricket or for that matter any other sport has two aspects: players and their promoters and facilitators.”

Siddiqui said politicians into sports administration have to ensure they do not use the players to further interests. “I agree that politicians should not use sportspersons for their political interest. But leaders must actively participate in the governance of sports. There is nothing wrong if leaders head cricketing bodies and encourage sporting talents,” Siddiqui said. “Success on the field requires a lot of work off the field which some leaders are good at.”

Siddiqui was quick to hurl a bouncer at the chief minister, saying it was because of his “lack of awareness” that Bihar was lagging behind in sporting achievements.

Nitish said his government had put in place a strategy to promote sports which would bear fruit in the future. “I am not happy with Bihar getting only 10 medals in the National Games. We are working to improve sports facilities in the state and promote talent,” he said.