No contest: Dalmiya stays at helm in CAB

KOLKATA: For the third year in succession, the Cricket Association of Bengal's AGM came and went with the sweet sound of "elected uncontested" ringing in the ears for Jagmohan Dalmiya and his men. But if there were illusions that the opposition, crushed in the 2008 elections, had been comprehensively shooed away, they would have been suitably dispelled by some rumblings on Tuesday.
Why was Rs 52 lakh spent on food on three World Cup matches when only Rs 20 lakh sufficed for seven IPL matches? Why was TDS that the Association was to get as refund from the Income Tax department written off? Why was so much being spent on a "non-performing" Dav Whatmore?
The examination and accusation may have come from a few but they did keep the embers of animosity burning.Dalmiya and Biswarup Dey, one of the joint-secretaries, took turns to respond to them at media interactions with a note of belligerence that comes from the numbers.
"The CAB footed the entire food bill during the World Cup while the franchise took care of a big chunk of it during IPL matches," Dey pointed out. "As regards the TDS, it's a small amount that kept getting carried forward for several years now with no realistic chance of recovery. So, we've just offloaded it," he added.
He defended coach Dav Whatmore too.