Pakistan Cricket Board Chief Sharyar Khan with BCCI Secretary and BJP MP Anurag Thakur during a meeting in New Delhi on Monday. PTIAnurag Thakur, one of the princelings of BJP loves to maintain a very high profile compared to other second generation leaders who are sons of party chief ministers and state level strongmen. The son of former Himachal Pradesh chief minister P.K. Dhumal is a natural choice in Delhi's corridors of power as he cut his teeth in the BJP's youth wing and is a member of Lok Sabha. He is focussed on a national role whereas sons of present and former chief ministers are more focussed on succeeding their parent as supreme in the home state. That is the case with Dushyant Singh, son of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje (Rajasthan), Abhishek Singh, son of Chief Minister Raman Singh (Chattisgarh), B.Y. Raghavendra, son of former chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa (Karnataka). Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben's daughter Anar Patel likes to be the power behind the throne in Gandhinagar, rather than look for a national role.
But Thakur is busy in party's national affairs and also wants to be the big boss of Indian cricket. Thakur who has played for Himachal Pradesh Ranji team built the world's highest altitude cricket stadium in Dharmashala. The new Congress government impounded the stadium and initiated prosecution against Thakur. But the young politician returned to Lok Sabha on the back of Modi wave. A staunch follower of party strongman Arun Jaitley, Thakur couldn't become a minister as the tiny state has sent heavyweights like former chief minister Shantha Kumar and powerful general secretary J.P. Nadda to Parliament. While Shantha Kumar missed the bus as he is over 75 years of age, Nadda is now Union health minister.
But Thakur is busy in the Parliamentary party and took on the powerful Srinivasan lobby in the Cricket Board elections. He won the Secretary's post by one vote, while all other contested posts went to Srinivasan camp. Thakur has established connections with politicians across the political spectrum as he wants to emulate Sharad Pawar the only politician to head both BCCI and International Cricket Council. Interestingly, the other BJP leader who was both a cricketer and son of a former chief minister is Kirti Azad who is a senior Lok Sabha MP. He played for India and was part of 1983 World Cup champion team, though he didn't play a game. But Azad's father Bhagwar Jha Azad was a Congress Chief Minister. Azad himself is a stern critic of the way Arun Jaitley remote controls Delhi Cricket Association.
But Thakur has challenges both in Parliament and Cricket Board. Further his aging father is advising him to focus on state politics as Dhumal doesn't want the control to be lost to Shantha Kumar camp. Then Thakur will have to balance his provincial and national interests.
Tailpiece: The proposed meeting of International Olympic Committee president with Narendra Modi has raised speculation of India bidding to host 2024. Sports ministry officials have informally conveyed to PMO that as Asia is hosting 2020 Games, the continent may not get a consecutive Olympics.
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