CHENNAI: RS Julaniya, secretary of sports, met both factions over lunch in Bhopal on Saturday. He had a “positive discussion” with AICF president PR Venketrama Raja and secretary Bharat Singh Chouhan.
“I spoke to them together and told them to sort out their differences,” he said. “Both of them flagged off quite a few issues which we found trivial. I asked them to go through their constitution and find an amicable solution without involving a third party. I think the problems can be fixed.”
Julaniya says the president and secretary need to respect each other. “Secretary should be taking care of day-to-day functioning and president is the head. Secretary can call a general body meeting but the president needs to approve it. It’s in the constitution. I advised both that according to the constitution, their roles are defined. If your intentions are fine and your objective is to do good for sports then everything will be fine.”
The secretary also sent out a warning. “I have told them if you continue to fight and don’t resolve your issues, you are giving enough material to act against you,” said Julaniya. The AICF is recognized by the ministry and funds come from the ministry. “If the government withdraws recognition, funding will also stop,” he said. The ministry had sent an observer to the meeting.