da jogodeouro： The spat between the Cricket Board and Sports Minister on the issue ofplaying against Pakistan, took a new turn today with Uma Bhartiholding back a letter to the Finance Minister regarding tax exemptionfor BCCI for organising the ICC KnockOut
26-Apr-2001The spat between the Cricket Board and Sports Minister on the issue ofplaying against Pakistan, took a new turn today with Uma Bhartiholding back a letter to the Finance Minister regarding tax exemptionfor BCCI for organising the ICC KnockOut tournament next year.”When International Cricket Council President Malcolm Gray met me lastmonth, I had promised all help from the Government, including taxexemption, for staging the event. But when I was about to send aletter to Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha recommending tax exemption,I got the news of the Cricket Board’s threat not to play in multination tournaments.”This only meant that if they were not going to play in the ICC Knock-Out tournament, they would not be hosting it either. So, I held theletter back,” the Sports Minister said. Asked when the letter wouldgo, she replied “when the matter is resolved”.Meanwhile, Uma Bharti’s statement yesterday that the Board had neverapproached her ministry formally for clarification, seemed to have hadits effect as the BCCI got in touch with her last night. “I havepassed on their query to my ministry officials and they will send thenecessary clarifications,” she said.Uma Bharti reiterated that she was opposed to playing cricket againstPakistan only on bilateral basis and not otherwise.