The President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), PT Usha is at loggerheads with her own Executive Council members over an ongoing power struggle within the organisation.
Usha believes that a few members of the Executive Council are trying to "sideline" her and hence she has urged them to work towards "taking the IOA to heights".
Notably, on Friday, members of the Executive Council pasted a notice at the IOA Bhawan in New Delhi, asking unauthorised persons to refrain from entering the premises.
Usha views the notice, meant for two recently appointed officials as "arbitrary" and directed the IOA staff to remove the copies of the notice posted within the IOA Bhawan. She also asked the IOA staff to follow her guidance and act in accordance to her directives.
"It is disheartening to see that we are still not able to work as a team and each of your acts is an attempt to sideline me," Usha mentioned in her response delivered to the Executive Council members.
"I am left with no option but to remind you all that the day-to-day administrative functions including hiring and firing of staff is not the job of the Executive Council. As the EC, we should be using our powers and right for much more important aspects of taking the IOA to heights," she said.
"It is directed to the IOA staff to remove any copies of the notice posted within the IOA Bhawan. Further, the IOA staff is instructed to follow guidance and directives from my office via my executive assistant," she added.
There is also a lot of furore regarding Ajay Narang's role in the IOA. Members of the Executive Council claim that they had terminated Narang from the post of Executive Assistant to the President, however, Usha, an incumbent member of the Rajya Sabha rejected the termination as "absolute nullity".
"The termination documents are an absolute nullity. The appointment of the executive assistant to the president is not within the jurisdiction of the Executive Council and thus the termination is non-est and bad in law. I am satisfied with the work done by Captain Ajay Kumar Narang (Retd) and do not find any reason to terminate his services," Usha said.
