Match fixing - a national crime: Uma Bharti

Union Sports Minister Uma Bharti Saturday described match-fixing as a national crime since it involved the honour of the country and the feelings of millions of its citizens.

Addressing a meet-the press programme in Bhopal, Bharati hoped the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) would take action against players whose names have figured in match fixing early next week.

Bharti said she would ensure that there was no cover-up in the probe and asserted that Defence Minister George Fernandes was not putting any pressure on her ministry to help clear Ajay Jadeja.

"I do meet Fernandes regularly to discuss various matters since he happens to be a senior minister but he has never mentioned Jadeja's name," she said.

The minister said officials from the ministries of home, law and external affairs, the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate would meet next week in her presence to discuss action against players.

Uma Bharti also stated that the decision to cancel Indian cricket team's tour to Pakistan was not taken by her ministry but by the ministry of external affairs.

"It is the external affairs ministry which decides on the country to which an Indian team can be sent to play and my ministry has nothing to do with it", she said

Bharti said about two years back former indian captain Kapil Dev had also stated that India should not have any cricketing ties with Pakistan.

"The government's stand on the issue has received a lot of support from many cricketers", she said adding that the BCCI officials were free to hold the opinion that the indian cricket team should play in Pakistan.

Bharti said according to her information, there was no proposal that the external affairs ministry was likely to reconsider its decision and clarified that Indian and Pakistani teams were free to compete in tournament in other countries.

Mail Cricket Editor