Former Indian Premier League (IPL) president Lalit Modi has made a big and controversial claim about Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. Lalit Modi alleges that after raising questions on the issues related to Kochi IPL franchise and Sunanda Pushkar, he received a call from Shashi Tharoor, in which he was advised not to take further action.
Tharoor’s warning ignored
In an interview to news agency ANI, Lalit Modi alleged that Tharoor had warned him of possible government action if he went ahead. The former IPL chairman further said that he ignored the warning and disconnected the phone. After this he refused to sign the related document or agreement.
Don’t ask about Sunanda Pushkar
Lalit said, ‘I got a call from Shashi Tharoor. He said, ‘Lalit, don’t ask about Sunanda Pushkar. She is my good friend. When I asked why, he said, ‘If you ask, I will raid your house in the morning.’ I said, ‘Fuck you. who you think you are? You may be the Foreign Minister of India, but don’t you dare say that to me. I slammed the phone and said I will not sign.
Refusal to sign franchise agreement
Lalit claimed that the standoff reached its peak during a late-night meeting in Bengaluru, where he refused to sign the official franchise agreement until the identities of the secret shareholders were made public.
I did not know who Sunanda Pushkar was – Lalit
Lalit further said, ‘I had no idea at all who Sunanda Pushkar was. I asked the consortium members, ‘Who is he?’ One person said that she was the daughter of an automobile dealer, a famous marketing person. I said, ‘Hey, I’m a marketing person in India and I don’t know them.’
Bid worth 350 million dollars
According to Lalit, the controversy started because he refused to ignore the allegedly highly biased financial model offered by the Kochi franchise. The group had acquired the expansion team with a whopping bid of $350 million, but structurally and mathematically it was headed for a major financial collapse.
Shashi Tharoor came to my house- Lalit Modi
Lalit Modi also claimed that he allowed Kochi to participate in the IPL bid despite Kerala not having a stadium. He said, ‘At that time Tharoor had convinced me for this. He came to my house. He was undoubtedly a sweet talker. I fell for his words.
Tharoor resigned from the post of Foreign Minister in 2010
Let us tell you that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had expelled the Kochi franchise from the IPL in 2011. The Kochi franchise, owned by KCPL and RSW, participated in only one IPL season in 2011 and finished 8th out of 10 teams. Tharoor resigned from the post of Minister of State for External Affairs in 2010 following the controversy in April 2010.
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