Even as the controversy stirred up by Kerala Sports Council President and Olympian Anju Bobby George’s allegations against state Sports Minister EP Jayarajan raged, the athlete dismissed all rumours about her plans to resign from the Council.
“I have not decided about resignation as of now. Any further move in this issue will be decided after discussing with other sports persons who were with me. I cannot alone take a decision,” she told The News Minute.
She added that she was an athlete who made Kerala proud among world countries, “and now if they want to throw me out they can, but I have no plans yet to resign,” she added.
Anju, on Thursday, had alleged that the Minister had threatened her and other members of the Council when it had assembled for the first meeting with him. She told The News Minute that the Sports Minister accused the Council members of being supporters of the opposition party, and also allegedly threatened them of dire consequences since the LDF had come to power.
But Jayarajan denied the allegations, and said he had just pointed out the absence of the council president from the state and the air travel she (Anju) made from Bangalore to Kerala. “I never behaved rudely with her. I don’t know why she is making these allegations,” he said.
Meanwhile some media reports also criticised Anju over her absence from the state, and her decision to live in Bengaluru. The report alleges that Anju, presently a customs officer, is also the coordinator of the National Athletics camp besides running a sports academy in Bangalore, and hence has little time to visit Thiruvananthapuram to work for the development of the sports council. The report further states that the Minister had questioned Anju about air tickets sponsored by the state government for her unofficial travel from Bengaluru to Thiruvananthapuram, as well as about alleged illegal attempts by her to provide a job to her brother in the Council.
In Kerala, the traditional practice is for Presidents of the Sports Council also to change when a new government comes to power. Anju was appointed as the President just six months ago by the previous UDF government.