IOA War: Pandey continues personal attack on IOA chief

Mudslinging and personal attacks on each other continue unabated in IOA in its battle to gain supremacy with treasurer Anandeshwar Pandey trading his gun at president Narendra Batra.

In a scathing letter to Batra, a copy of which is with Republic TV, Pandey writes, "In response to your later dated July 20, 2020, I would like to state here that I don’t want to engage myself with your meaningless emails as they are not in the best interest of the Indian Olympic Association. But still, I want to clear my stand on a few things that as per the Constitution draft of the IOA, every individual has been given a certain responsibility to do with full transparency, and no one is allowed to interfere in each others’ work. The draft also has transparent policy in financial matters, including income and expenditure in which  there has been a procedure for a joint decision by the finance division and the administrative division."

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'We will discuss this issue in the next executive committee meeting'

Pandey said this issue will be discussed in the next IOA Executive Committee meeting, "We will discuss this issue in the next executive committee. Therefore, I request you to stop criticizing the IOA as it only brings bad name for the country’s supreme sporting organizations. In view of the other points in your mail, I assure you that all decisions taken by the Executive Council for the betterment of the IOA would be implemented accordingly. I welcome your suggestions, including one about the financial management and prompt action would be taken on this. I would also like to state here I have been an active person in sports federations and associations for the last 40 years and there is no allegation of even one financial irregularity against me and this truth can be confirmed by people, including one to whom you find your mentor in sports. It’s my honest working 
that’s why since 1955; I am flourishing in the IOA despite facing so many hurdles."

He concluded with a sweeping comment on IOA President, "At the end Batra Ji, I would like to remind you that time remains the most supreme power in the world.  No one can rule an organization forever and the Indian Olympic Association isn’t the property of an individual. Ego and pride of any individual can never be everlasting. I am on the verge of completing my tenure but I never felt any kind of fear and this reality should be known to you and your aides. As far as you are concerned, everybody knows that you don’t respect the IOA Constitution as well as the executive council or the decisions of the annual general meeting and that’s why you continue sending meaningless mails just to defame the IOA. Since you are the president of the IOA and it’s your responsibility to maintain the respect of the organization, but if you are following the constitutions logically, I will have no other option but to take shelter of the court just to oppose your wrong doings. I would continue my fight against your ill-will even if I am alone in this struggle. Dear Mr Batra only time will tell how IOA would shape up in 2021?"

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(Image credits: PTI)