BFI faction says 27 state units back move to remove Ajay Singh, meets MoS Raksha Khadse
A faction of the Boxing Federation of India that is seeking the removal of president Ajay Singh met Union Minister of State for Sports Raksha Khadse in the national capital on Wednesday and submitted a memorandum seeking intervention over alleged governance lapses, saying it has the backing of 27 state units. The group, which had planned a Special General Meeting to table a no-confidence motion, gathered after the Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered the meeting kept in abeyance until the next hearing on November 13.
Eight of the federation's 13 executive committee members attended the gathering, including secretary general Pramod Kumar, senior vice-presidents Rajesh Bhandari and Leonardo D'Gama, treasurer Pon Baskaran and joint secretaries Teli Khai and Swapan Banerjee. Representatives from 27 state units were present, among them Madhya Pradesh's Digvijay Singh and Assam's Hemanta Kalita, who served as treasurer and secretary respectively during Ajay Singh's previous term; delegates from Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha and Jharkhand also took part. Ajay Singh was elected for a third term last year. The memorandum was lodged with the Sports Ministry, the Indian Olympic Association and World Boxing president Gennadiy Golovkin.
After the meeting with the minister the group confirmed its next steps. "We have just met the Minister of State for Sports and submitted our memorandum. We will go to the IOA as well. We want to make them aware of the situation," Rajesh Bhandari said.
The gathering had originally been called as a Special General Meeting convened by Pramod Kumar to move a no-confidence motion against Ajay Singh, but the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday directed that the meeting be kept in abeyance until the next hearing on November 13. "How long can we keep fighting in court? Ajay Singh has kept us waiting for two years (as cases relating to the validity of the new constitution are still going on)," Bhandari said.
Bhandari outlined practical constraints and disciplinary actions alleged against dissenters within the federation. "We don't have the financial resources to fight court cases. Every time an official within the Boxing Federation has questioned Ajay Singh's authority, they have either been suspended or served with a show-cause notice. We may just have to go and sit at Jantar Mantar to protest," he said. "Today we were not able to hold the meeting for the purpose for which it was called. We can't question the court but we thought we would still meet and discuss the issues," he added.
The memorandum accused Ajay Singh of concentrating powers, sidelining elected office-bearers and undermining democratic processes within the federation, and alleged that the BFI constitution was revised without adequate scrutiny. The faction also claimed that state representatives were muted and denied an opportunity to speak during an online meeting on the proposed changes on August 27.
State delegates at the meeting raised concerns about grassroots development, competition scheduling and payments to officials and medallists. "There are no plans for grassroots-level development and no competitions. We are not given a calendar outlining the competitions," Bhandari alleged. "There is no clarity about when the National Championships will be held, and when they are held, the announcement comes just 20 days before the tournament." He also said, "There is no development of coaches, referees and judges. The technical officials who conduct domestic tournaments have not been paid TA/DA for the past five to six years," and added, "Medallists at the National Championships have not received the cash rewards promised to them."
In response later on Wednesday, the Boxing Federation of India issued a press release stating that 21 of its 35 "authorised state units" had participated in a two-day Mission Olympic Podium meeting in Bagdogra, West Bengal. "Twenty-one of the Boxing Federation of India's 35 authorised state units participated in a two-day 'Mission Olympic Podium' meeting here, bringing a majority of its state units together around Indian boxing's Olympic ambitions and an athlete-first approach," the press release stated.
The status of the Special General Meeting and any formal challenge to Ajay Singh's presidency now hinges on the next court hearing scheduled for November 13, when the Punjab and Haryana High Court will consider the petition keeping the SGM in abeyance.