Bishan Singh Bedi walks away from DDCA over Arun Jaitley statue, claims nepotism

Spin legend Bishan Singh Bedi has asked for his name to be removed from the spectators' gallery at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground after the Delhi and District Cricket Association decided to install a statue of its former president Arun Jaitley at the venue.

Slamming the DDCA for promoting nepotism, Bedi also renounced his membership of the cricket body.

In a scathing letter to Rohan Jaitley, the current DDCA president and late Arun Jaitley's son, Bedi said that the cricketing body was putting administrators ahead of cricketers.

Arun Jaitley was at the helm of DDCA for 14 years, between 1999 and 2013. In his honour, the DDCA is planning to install a six-foot statue of its former president.

In his letter, he observed that "failures need not be celebrated with plaques and busts" when around the world great cricketers like Sir Donald Bradman and Sir Garfield Sobers were glorified at stadia.

He also accused the current leadership of adopting the same culture of "fawning obeisance" as was prevalent during the Arun Jaitley's stewardship. 

• Arun Jaitley statue
• Bishan Singh Bedi
• DDCA
• Delhi cricket
• Feroz Shah Kotla
• Nepotism
• Spectator's galley
• Bishan Singh Bedi stand
• Letter to DDCA