CHENNAI (TIP) : The decision to ban Lalit Modi from BCCI for life was taken much ahead of the board’s special general meeting (SGM), which started at 2:05 pm on September 25 and was over by 2:20 pm. Modi the maverick became history as his sworn enemy, president-in-exile N Srinivasan, clinically packed him off, gaining a huge advantage ahead of the annual general meeting (AGM) on Sunday. The 29-0 scoreline in an electorate of 30 (the J&K representative was absent) said it all. There was no voice of support for Modi who was desperately trying to prolong his administrative career. All Srinivasan needed was a two-thirds majority (21 votes), but there was no voice of dissent, proving beyond doubt who is the supreme boss in BCCI at the moment. “Modi is guilty of committing acts of misconduct and indiscipline, and therefore, in exercise of powers as per Regulation 32 of the Memorandum of Rules and Regulations of the BCCI, Modi is hereby expelled from the board,” a terse note written by BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel was sent to the media. Modi’s Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court to stop the SGM was rejected and a letter that he had sent to BCCI urging the members to allow him to present his case or defer the meeting to a date after the Sunday AGM wasn’t paid attention to.

“Please note that I do intend to appear before the SGM and place my version and the facility that was extended to the BCCI witnesses for the purposes of recording of their evidence, that is by way of video conferencing, may kindly be extended to me as well,” Modi had said in his letter. According to a BCCI member present in the meeting, they were informed about the contents of Modi’s letter but they didn’t feel it important enough to attach importance to it. “He was found guilty by the disciplinary committee and there was no reason to waste too much time on it any longer. And Modi wasn’t available for video conferencing either,” a BCCI member present in the meeting said. “It was a unanimous choice to ban Modi. The proposer was Anirudh Chaudhury from the Haryana Cricket Association and the seconder was Ranjib Biswal from Orissa Cricket Association. There was no voice of opposition,” Rajeev Shukla said. IS Bindra, the president of Punjab Cricket Association and a known Modi sympathizer, didn’t attend the meeting and MP Pandove, who represented the association, went in favour of the motion. The only office-bearer absent from the meeting chaired by Srinivasan was North Zone vice-president Arun Jaitley, who was busy with a BJP rally in Bhopal.

Officials only interested in themselves: Lalit Modi
In a video interview to ESPN Cricinfo, Modi said: “Board officials are not interested in doing what is good for cricket. They are only interested in what they are getting out of it.” Modi spoke about how ridiculous it was for Srinivasan to stand for elections in the midst of a burning spot fixing controversy involving his son-inlaw. “There is unanimity in allowing him to continue. You never see a lone ranger standing out because they shut them all up. Only I S Bindra and myself have been lone rangers in the past, “ he said.