By IANS
Kolkata : Former Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Jagmohan Dalmiya Friday challenged his successor Prasun Mukherjee to a debate as he continued to drag Dalmiya's name into the delay over the renewal of the lease for Eden Gardens.
Dalmiya asserts that he was in no way responsible for the letter by National Cricket Club (NCC), which had asked the CAB that it was one of the parties whose consent would have to be taken to renew the lease of Eden Gardens that expired early this year and delayed the development work of the historic ground.
"I was shocked to read newspaper reports this morning where you alleged that I had masterminded a letter that you have received from Lalit Seth of NCC and that I was being instrumental in delaying CAB'S development work," wrote the former CAB chief.
"It is rather irrational to assume that I would instigate any person to write that the lease of Eden Gardens cannot be renewed without NCC'S consent because I, along with former CAB presidents Siddhartha Shankar Ray and Bishwanath Dutt as well as former Bengal chief secretary Rathin Sengupta, was instrumental in obtaining the lease in favour of CAB from the Defence Ministry in 1987 and its subsequent renewal in 1992," he added.
"I am fully aware that the NCC has no say whatsoever with regard to the renewal of lease. For the last 20 years, NCC has had no legal or moral claim on the ownership of Eden Gardens. In fact, for relinquishing its ownership claim, NCC is entitled to a certain quota of tickets during international matches played at Eden Gardens," Dalmiya clarified, vindicating Mukherjee's comments that NCC's claim was not valid.
Challenging Mukherjee's statement holding Dalmiya responsible for the NCC letter, the former CAB strongman wrote: "I would like to invite you or any of your colleagues for a debate in an open forum in the presence of the media on July 30 at a mutually convenient time, since the CAB elections are scheduled for tomorrow."