Modi-BCCI spat turns uglier as Manohar lashes out!

It seems suspended Indian Premier League Commissioner Lalit Modi can’t catch a break. On Saturday, BCCI president Shashank Manohar blasted Modi in an open letter directed to the media. Manohar has claimed that Modi has been attempting to tarnish the Indian cricket governing body’s image and is now a reason for embarrassment for the board.

This comes a day after Modi had claimed that the interim IPL chairman Chirayu Amin was a part of a group that bid for an IPL franchise.Following is the letter released by Shashank Manohar:

“Mr Modi, since yesterday is trying to malign the image of the Board and Mr. Chirayu Amin by making statements which are far from the truth.

“I did not react earlier when he made allegations against me and the Hony. Secretary as I did not wish to dignify his ridiculous allegations with a repartee. Today I am replying, because he is trying to tarnish the image of the Board and its members.

“It is alleged by Mr Modi, that Mr Amin had given a bid along with the Pune Franchisee – City Corporation Ltd. He has further alleged that I did not inform him about the letter from Mr. Amin seeking permission to bid and that the said communication was suppressed from him and the Governing Council Members.

“The truth is that it was Mr Modi himself who sent a message to the Pune Franchisees through Mr Ajay Shirke, President, MCA, asking them to contact Mr. Amin and ask him to be a part of the Consortium.

“When the Pune Franchisee approached Mr. Amin to join their Consortium, he informed them that he might join the Consortium by making an investment of upto 10 percent. Mr. Amin had then given me a letter with a copy to the Hony Secretary, informing that he has been approached by the Pune Franchisee. In his letter he clearly states that should City Corporation Ltd win the bid, he would then formally approach the Board for a sanction to invest in the Consortium. The letter itself makes it very clear that it was a proposal with a pre-condition attached- that Mr Amin would seek a formal sanction only in case the bid succeeds.

“The Board and the Governing Council would have needed to consider Mr Amin’s case only if and when he put forward a concrete proposal to invest.

“First and foremost, Mr Amin’s letter was not for asking permission to bid. Secondly, he was not a bidder with City Corporation Ltd and this even Mr Modi has agreed in his interview to Times Now.

“It is thus clear that the claim of Mr Modi that Mr Amin was a bidder is misleading and is only to malign the image of the Board and it Members.

“Mr Modi has also made a statement that Mr Aniruddha Deshpande,MD City Corporation Ltd, had informed him that though the bid was submitted on behalf of City Corporation Ltd, it was in fact a personal bid on behalf of himself. Mr Modi , who claims to be above board in all matters, did not think this very cogent and important piece of information should be shared with Governing Council Members /Officials. His statement becomes even more questionable in the light of the fact that the bid document tendered on behalf of City Corporation Ltd gives information only regarding City Corporation Ltd and does not give any personal information about Mr Aniruddha Deshpande. The bid could have been rejected at the threshold if it had been from Mr Aniruddha Deshpande ,in his individual capacity, as it did not carry the necessary information about the bidder, ie. Mr Deshpande.

“Mr. Modi, who is himself in the dock, is trying to tarnish the image of the Board by making false and misleading statements time and again when as a fact the Board has landed in this embarrassing situation due to his own misdeeds.

“The reason for me releasing this statement is that the BCCI is an Institution which is the best run Sports Body in the country and the image of BCCI cannot be allowed to be tarnished by people like Mr Lalit Modi.”

Maybe it’s time somebody suggested a ‘strategic time out’ to the enigmatic Mr. Modi.