IPL row: Shiv Sena wants Sharad Pawar's resignation

Shiv Sena today demanded resignation of Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, who is allegedly involved in an IPL bid row, saying the yardstick applied in former minister Shashi Tharoor's case should be adopted against the NCP boss also.

"Earlier also doubts were raised about Pawar's involvement in IPL bidding. At least now, he should quit as once again his name has cropped up in the controversy," party executive president Uddhav Thackeray said.

 "The same yardstick because of which Congress MP Shashi Tharoor was made to quit the Union cabinet following the IPL row, should be applied to Pawar also. Centre should take action against Pawar too," he said on the sidelines of the 336th anniversary of coronation ceremony of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Pawar, who is also former BCCI chief, and his MP daughter Supriya Sule have been embroiled in a controversy over the bid for the Pune IPL team after it came to light that the Pawar family had a 16 per cent equity in City Corporation Ltd (CCL), one of the bidders. The Sahara group had clinched the bid.

Pawar claimed that CCL MD Aniruddha Deshpande bid for the team on his own and the board was against the move even though it allowed him to use the company's name on bid documents.

Adding to Pawar's troubles, there were fresh reports that the company bid for the IPL team on its own behalf.