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Bharti refutes BCCI charges

Union Sports Minister Uma Bharti Friday told the Rajya Sabha that there was no question of playing cricket matches with Pakistan at the moment and asked the Board of Cricket Control in India to "make its mind clear" before accusing her ministry for the decision.

"The sports ministry is only a nodal ministry and we have only conveyed to the BCCI the decision of the External Affairs Ministry not to play cricket matches with Pakistan," Bharti told Ram Jethmalani during question hour.

Replying to supplementaries, she made it clear that sport bodies wanting to organise matches with only a commercial motive in mind and not in conformity with government policies, would be discouraged.

Terming Sharjah, Singapore and Toronto as "irregular" cricket venues, the minister said there was no change in government policy of not playing cricket matches with Pakistan.

She said although the government was keen in promoting other games, besides cricket, and had even allocated more funds for these games, "cricket remained the natural attraction for the youth in the country".

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