New Delhi, Jan. 24: A day after the Hockey India elections were deferred a third time, former India captain and Hockey Punjab secretary Pargat Singh launched a scathing attack on Mr Suresh Kalmadi, claiming the Indian Olympic Associ-ation president’s ambition to become HI chief had resulted in repeated delays. The former full-back minced no words and even alleged that Mr Kalmadi was "running a sports mafia in the country".

The polls, scheduled for February 7, were postponed yet again on Saturday following a stay order from the Rajasthan high court over the affiliations granted to state units on January 11.

"People like Kalmadi are running a sports mafia in the country. Players want a parental touch from their federations and no one wants to revolt. But Kalmadi is playing games and pulling strings from behind the scenes and some former players are pawns in his hand," alleged Pargat Singh on Sunday, adding that HI was not keen on holding the elections after Mr Kalmadi failed to get a nomination from Maha-rashtra. Mr Kalmadi, on his part, said the allegations were rubbish and just "figments of the imagination".

"It is a personal attack and I deny it. I have no time or interest in taking over hockey. I have a national duty to perform to ensure that the Commonwealth Games are conducted successfully and I am fully occupied," Mr Kalmadi said in a release. "I’m also responsible for the smooth conduct of the coming World Cup hockey being staged by IOA and FIH of which I am the joint chairperson of the governing board," he added.

It is no secret that the IOA chief is "very keen" to hold the top post. His plans though were checked after the sports ministry earlier this month ruled that IOA officials could not stand for the Hockey India elections.

Sources confirmed that Mr Kalmadi recently put a lot of pressure on Maharashtra Hockey Association officials, asking them to name him as one of the two representatives from the state. The MHA, however, chose its secretary, Mr Ikram Khan, inviting Mr Kalmadi’s wrath.

Insiders reveal that a major tussle ensued between Mr Ikram Khan and Mr Kalmadi. When contacted, Mr Ikram Khan said from Mumbai, "I believe I am the best candidate from the MHA, and more capable than anyone since I have been in the system since the beginning. I sent my name because I think I can do much better than the others."

The development, it is believed, even led to the delay in the announcement of the electoral college list by Hockey India, which did not know how to deal with the matter. The list was finally made public by the sports ministry on Saturday.

Said Pargat, "Kalmadi and his men got scared after he failed to get a nomination from Maharashtra despite putting pressure on the MHA. They cited the Rajasthan high court order as the reasons (to defer the elections), but all they should have done was to submit an application to vacate the stay and go ahead with the election."

Referring to Hockey Punjab’s tussle with HI to get affiliation, Pargat Singh said people close to Mr Kalmadi tried to negotiate a deal with him.

"I would call them Kalmadi’s lackeys who came to me and said in clear terms that Hockey Punjab would get affiliation as soon as we agreed to support him for the president’s post. I told them we were not interested in any sort of trade-off. After that, I had to make the rounds of their office for 10 days before eventually being granted affiliation," Pargat Singh alleged.

Meanwhile, sports minister M.S. Gill blamed Hockey India for the postponement of the elections, saying some democratically-run state associations being left out of the electoral college had led to the current crisis. "There are some state units like Bombay, Madras, Bengal etc. that have been in existence for 70-80 years. I don’t believe that all of them are not run democratically. The world hockey body has a one-state one-unit rule, but that does not mean that the names of these old associations are removed and new bodies granted affiliation," Mr Gill said at the opening of the Major Dhyanchand National Stadium, the venue for the hockey World Cup, on Sunday.

Harpreet Kaur Lamba