HYDERABAD: Accusing the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) of indulging in gross irregularities in conducting the India-Australia T20 match, the Opposition parties — Congress and BJP — demanded an inquiry into the fiasco over the sales of tickets which led to a stampede resulting in injuries to several cricket lovers. The two parties blamed the State government for stampede.
Addressing a press conference, Congress working president B Mahesh Kumar Goud said that the whole episode would tarnish the brand image of Hyderabad. The HCA and State government had colluded to block tickets to torment cricket lovers. The government and HCA should release a white paper on what happened to about 38,000 tickets, he demanded.
“As per the Supreme Court guidelines, the complimentary passes should not exceed 7 to 8 per cent. How many passes were sent to IT Minister KT Rama Rao and Sports Minister V Srinivas Goud,” he sought to know. Meanwhile, speaking to the media, BJP leader G Vivek, who had unsuccessfully contested for the post of Hyderabad Cricket Association president, said that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao wanted his daughter K Kavitha to be HCA president. “Hence, he refused to support my candidature when I expressed my wish to contest in the election during my stint in the TRS party. Now, I understand that all these attempts are to make Kavitha the next HCA president,” Vivek said.