By Vivek Prabhakar Singh
New Delhi [India], November 2 : Boxing Federation of India (BFI) president Ajay Singh has said the ongoing dispute within the national federation, which has reached the courts following the suspension of secretary general Pramod Kumar, should not distract Indian boxing from its preparations for the Olympic Games.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed that a Special General Meeting (SGM), called by Kumar to move a no-confidence motion against Singh, be kept in abeyance until the next hearing on November 13. Kumar was suspended by Singh on October 14 over allegations of financial impropriety and other administrative lapses.
"It's very sad that the matter has reached the court, but if that's they want, let it be that way. But, we have to focus on the Olympic preparation. We have to focus on boxing. Rest the courts will decide. And we are very confident that the courts will decide in our favour, because the constitution is in front of everyone," Singh told ANI.
The dispute intensified on October 28 when a faction of the BFI, claiming the support of 28 state units, met Union Minister of State for Sports Raksha Khadse and sought the ministry's intervention over alleged governance lapses in the federation.
Eight of the 13 BFI executive committee members, including Kumar, were part of the gathering, which was originally intended to be an SGM to move a no-confidence motion against Ajay Singh.
The faction accused Singh of concentrating powers in his hands, sidelining elected office-bearers and undermining democratic processes. It also questioned the changes made to the BFI constitution and raised concerns over grassroots development, the competition calendar and pending allowances for technical officials.
Singh, however, dismissed the claim of support from 28 state units, questioning the credentials of those present at the meeting and insisting that any move against him must follow the procedure laid down in the federation's constitution.
"The photo in which he is showing the 28 associations, all the organizations that he has shown, the members that are sitting there, somewhere a journalist is sitting there, he is representing Punjab, somewhere an old federation that lost the election is sitting there, some coaches are sitting there, so these are all useless things, and if this is the case, then there is no difficulty, there is a process, through which you can bring a no confidence motion against the president, so bring it, follow the process, and show that you have 28, there is no problem," he said.
Explaining the procedure, Singh said two-thirds of the members would have to request a meeting, following which the president would convene it. He added that three-fourths of the members would then have to vote against him for him to step down.
"He should follow that process, it is not that the secretary general said that I called a meeting, he does not have the right to call a meeting, then from where is he calling a meeting, and how is he doing the meeting," Singh said.
The BFI president also explained the reasons behind Kumar's suspension, citing alleged irregularities related to sponsorship and broadcasting arrangements, as well as the cancellation of a national championship in Himachal Pradesh.
Singh alleged that Kumar had presented him with a letter claiming that a broadcaster had offered a sponsorship of Rs 2 crore for the World Boxing Cup Finals in Noida. However, when the federation approached the broadcaster to collect the amount, it allegedly denied issuing the letter.
He further alleged that Kumar had issued a work order worth Rs 1.5 crore without obtaining the necessary approvals from the president or the finance committee.
"Because there were allegations of grave impropriety against him," Singh said, adding that the federation's constitution empowered the president to suspend an office-bearer while an inquiry was conducted, subject to ratification by the executive committee or general body within three months.
"If he is not guilty, he will be found to be not guilty," he said.
Despite the infighting, Singh said the federation's priority remained the performance of Indian boxers, pointing to what he described as the country's best-ever results at major international competitions.
India finished third at the World Championships last year, second behind Kazakhstan at the Asian Championships and topped the boxing medal table at both the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games. The Indian contingent won seven gold medals at the Commonwealth Games, its best-ever tally at the event, while also finishing ahead of traditional powerhouses Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan at the Asian Games.
"When I took over this federation, we were ranked number 44. Today we are ranked number one. So I think the results speak for themselves," Singh said.
He added that India had a strong opportunity to win Olympic medals and that the ongoing dispute should not affect the preparation of its boxers.
Singh also welcomed the visit of former World Boxing president Boris van der Vorst, who recently met Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya along with the BFI president.
Describing the meeting as positive, Singh said van der Vorst wanted to support Indian boxing as an ambassador of the sport.
"Boris said that you are now a powerhouse in boxing, and you must look after the sport well. And the minister said that we are all very enthusiastic about the sport, and we fully support BFI in taking the sport forward. So it was a wonderful meeting. I was there and privileged to attend it," Singh concluded.