Finance minister announces probe in House after opposition demands investigation by a Joint Parliamentary Committee.
The UPA government said on Monday that an investigation is being conducted into the functioning of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
After the opposition demanded a probe by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee said in Lok Sabha, “Investigation into IPL by the department concerned has started. No guilty person will be spared.”
The entire opposition, barring the BJP, gave various suggestions on the functioning of the IPL — a JPC probe into its running, disbanding the tournament, or running it under the sports ministry. Given the fact that the supremacy of the BCCI in cricketing matters was not challenged by anyone, there is little to suggest that the government would adopt any of these suggestions.
Immediately after the issue came up in Lok Sabha, the Yadav trio of Mulayam, Lalu and Sharad, and CPI’s Gurudas Dasgupta said there was betting and black money in IPL.
That’s when the finance minister took to the floor to announce that the probe has already begun. “The concerned department has already started investigation process (into the IPL episode). All aspects including sources of funding and routes through which the funds arrived would be looked into. Appropriate action as per law would be taken. No guilty or wrong-doer will be spared,” Mukherjee said.
Seeking to broaden the scope of the probe, Dasgupta said that it did not end with Tharoor’s resignation. “The issue relates to laundering of illegal money into the tournament, which needs to be probed,” he alleged.
The ebullient RJD chief, Lalu Prasad, had a different grouse as well. It pertained to his son, who he said had not played a single match despite being a member of one of the IPL teams. “He has been working as an errand boy. Every now and then he is made to run to the field with a towel and water bottle to wipe the sweat off other players.
[Usko bar-bar bhagata hai dusro ka pasina sukhane ke liye],” Prasad said in his inimitable style.
In the midst of laughter from all sides of the House, Lalu wondered how “the son of a Yadav could be made to toil like that”.
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