Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi’s attempts to score brownie points over the Congress by claiming that his government was willing to provide security cover to the Indian Premier League (IPL)  has been contradicted by his own director general of police (DGP).

In a letter to Narhari Amin, president of the Gujarat Cricket Association, DGP SS Khandawala made it clear that the Gujarat government was “not in a position to give police personnel for Twenty20 matches between April 15 and May 3.”

The DGP also requested Amin to “explore the possibility of shifting the match scheduled for April 22 to “either before April 10 or after May 10”.

The DGP’s letter has punctured Modi’s claims.

Both Modi and his party, the BJP, had accused the Centre of failing to provide security to the IPL, forcing its organisers to shift the tournament out of the country.

Modi has also accused the UPA of jeopardising the country’s chances of hosting a major  event like the Commonwealth Games.