BELAGAVI: Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Wednesday said a decision on allowing IPL matches at Chinnaswamy stadium would be taken after discussing it in the cabinet meeting at Belagavi on Thursday
After meeting the newly elected KSCA President Venkatesh Prasad in Belagavi, Shivakumar said, “We have no intention of stopping cricket matches at Chinnaswamy stadium, but we have to think of crowd control measures. We will also have to incorporate Michael D’Cunha committee suggestions in a phased manner. Venkatesh Prasad has also agreed to it. Our government is committed to organising cricket matches without denting the reputation of the state.”
“The newly elected President of KSCA and his team met us today, seeking the government’s cooperation. We will not allow any of the matches, including the IPL events, to be shifted out of Bengaluru. We will have to work together on this,” he said.
Tourneys soon, says Prasad
International cricket matches, including the IPL, will soon resume at Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium. Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) President Venkatesh Prasad said that cricket fans will receive this good news soon. He visited the KSCA ground in Raj Nagar here on Wednesday, inspected the building, and later spoke to officials.
He said that he has visited Belagavi and submitted a request to the CM and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar regarding the issue. Both leaders have assured that the matter will be discussed in Thursday’s Assembly session.
“We are confident that the government will soon accept our request and give us the good news,” he added.
The previous KSCA committee did not carry out any significant development work in the last three years. “We have understood their mistakes and are moving forward,” he said.
Dharmasthala conspiracy
About a complainant being chargesheeted in the Dharmasthala case, Shivakumar said, “I know Dharmasthala’s history and they won’t do anything of this sort. I had talked about the conspiracy confidently, as I was sure of the people behind the issue... I haven’t read the chargesheet, but the law will take its course. This conspiracy was the result of internal differences between the RSS and BJP. The truth has come out now.”
Farmers’ issue
Asked about Opposition members’ criticism that the government has not handled farmers’ issues properly, he said, “These are political accusations. Our government has addressed farmers’ issues. We have taken a big step towards resolving issues faced by sugarcane and maize growers. BJP has failed in this.”