Even as they wrangle with each other in a high-decibel blame game, the two key personalities of the Indian Premier League (IPL) find themselves on a sticky wicket.
Even as they wrangle with each other in a high-decibel blame game, the two key personalities of the Indian Premier League (IPL) find themselves on a sticky wicket.
Lalit Modi, IPL chairman and commissioner, is in trouble with the powers-that-be in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for “crossing the line” by tweeting about Team Kochi’s ownership structure. His saving grace: the support of Sharad Pawar.
Shashi Tharoor, minister of state for external affairs and mentor-at-large at Team Kochi, is under the scanner for trying to conceal the identity of a free equity shareholder, Sunanda Pushkar, in the franchise. Pushkar is known to be close to the minister.
To add to his woes, the row reached the Supreme Court on Tuesday with a lawyer filing a petition for a CBI probe into the minister’s role in the deal and to find out whether hawala money was used in the bid for the Kochi franchise. What’s saving Tharoor from political castigation so far is also a big-ticket benefactor: Sonia Gandhi.
On Tuesday, even as Modi was gagged by the BCCI for speaking on the issue, Tharoor issued a long, bullet-pointed explanation as a response to the allegations. His tweet “I’ve had enough” directed readers to the page on his website. He alleged in his response that “it has been clear for some time that the real motive is to assign this IPL team elsewhere than Kerala”.
Adding to the pressure from the Kochi franchisees and Tharoor, Modi’s adversaries within the BCCI too have grabbed the opportunity to corner him.
Consider that Modi has neither tweeted for over 24 hours, nor spoken to the media. Sources say BCCI president Shashank Manohar has asked him not to make any comments till the governing council meeting, likely to be held on April 25 or 26.
In a letter to Modi on Monday, he said, “The issue, if any, could have been discussed at the governing council meeting and that action on your part of raising it on Twitter is unbecoming of you as a chairman of a sub-committee of the board. Your action is in serious breach of confidentiality.” Modi replied to the letter saying “…things I have said on my Twitter account have actually not been any classified information. It’s factual and only something we would have put into the public domain.” DNA has copies of both letters.
A senior BCCI member said there should be more than a ‘reprimand’ at the governing council meeting. “There is a thin line between transparency and confidentiality. Has he crossed that line? If you ask me, yes,” the official said.
Meanwhile, referring to media reports of Tharoor’s alleged role in securing Kochi’s IPL franchise for M/s Rendezvous Sports World Limited, lawyer Ajay Agrawal alleged that Tharoor had misused his official position to secure a stake in the consortium, free of cost, for his girlfriend Sunanda Pushkar. Referring to photographs of Tharoor and Pushkar seen together at various places, Agrawal said he had “reasonable apprehension that hawala and black money have also played big role in this [Kochi IPL] case”.
Tharoor’s statement confirms he used his official position since the consortium led by Rendezvous had approached him to get the Kochi team, Agarwal said.
“Direct the CBI or any other agency which this court deems fit to investigate this matter within a week and file a report before this court,” he said.
Agarwal also sought a hearing of the petition “after the report is received” and for an appropriate order on the basis of the report.
Apart from the Union of India, other respondents in the petition are the ministries of personnel and sports, the BCCI, the CBI and the IPL.
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