SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad Aug 20: In order to host the national under-13 badminton tournament for the first time in the state, the Jharkhand Badminton Association (JBA) gave up the position of vice-president in the All India Badminton Association (AIBA).
According to sources, K Prabhakar Rao, general secretary of the Jharkhand Badminton Association, was set to be elected as the new vice-president of the national organisation at the AIBA’s annual general meeting, which was held last month. However, he shunned the job offer at the last minute of the meeting and instead chose to host the under-13 national championship in Jharkhand.
Rao, who also serves as joint secretary of the national organisation, is considered a close associate of Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is the president of the All India Badminton Association. According to reports, the majority of the delegates chose Rao’s name unanimously. However, Rao declined the position of vice-president after noticing the interest of a few other contenders.
K Prabhakar Rao acknowledged having accepted the offer of the vice-president position in the national organisation when he was contacted. “Post does not concern me before the game’s development in Jharkhand. So, rather than have a senior position in the organisation, I preferred the under-13 national championship,” he stated.
Rao stated that the under-13 national championship would be jointly organised by Tata Steel and the Jharkhand Badminton Association in Jamshedpur during the last month of this year. This is the first category event of the national badminton championship that Jharkhand will host in 22 years since becoming a separate state.
“I believe in sacrifice, and by turning down the national body’s offer, I showed my critics in the state that I am not longing after the position but rather want the development of the game in the state,” Rao stated.
Rao rued that despite devoting his life to the development of the game in the state, some vested interests put all agencies (barring ED) behind him to oust him from the association. The BAI general secretary said since he always follows the path of truth, no one will be able to remove him.
“However, I’m hurt that my critics have now turned to national coach Sachin Rana to settle the score after me. Sachin is devoted to the game and is the pride of Jharkhand. Sadly, they are making him a target without good cause,” added Rao.
