No betting in IPL, says a furious Lalit Modi

Updated on Monday, April 19, 2010, 12:42 IST
Zeecric Bureau

Mumbai: IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi lashed out at the media on Monday rubbishing all reports regarding him being involved in match-fixing in the Indian Premier League.

Reports on Sunday claimed that the big-boss of the IPL may be involved in match-fixing
as many experts were dumbfounded by his almost accurate prediction of results in the tournament so far.

While the accurate results can be put down to 'lucky guesses’, Modi, on twitter, appearing surprised at Chennai Super Kings’ defeat to Delhi Daredevils raised a few more eye-brows.

However, a furious Modi discarded all such reports as false and also threatened to file a case of defamation against the newspapers which ran such a news.

This is not the first time that Modi, though only in hushed whispers so far, has been accused of controlling results in the cash rich league.


During last year’s edition, Modi had correctly predicted a Rajasthan Royals win even as their match against Kolkata Knight Riders was headed for a nail-biting finish.

The match was sorted after a Super-Over, which, too was as per Modi had told his friends.

Skeptics believe that forced breaks like strategy time-outs are also an avenue, which are utilized to serve malicious intents of the bookies.

Modi has faced a trumeltous last week which has seen the once authoritalian commissioner who ran the league as her his whims and fancies, seek desperate measures to keep clutching on to his position.

Infact after Modi's public spat with Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor Kochi franchise ownership, reports are abuzz that his powers are set to be curtailed considerably.

The furore started when Modi revealed the identities of the stakeholders of the Kochi team. The shareholders in the team include a Dubai-based businesswoman Sunanda Pushkar, who is a close friend of Tharoor.

Modi alleged that Tharoor tried to pressurise him into not revealing the stakeholders' identity, especially Sunanda. Tharoor denied the allegations and accused Modi of trying to scuttle Kochi's bid.

An ugly war of words ensued and while Tharoor is now under intense pressure to resign, Modi has also landed in a soup as details have also emerged of his relatives' stakes in Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab.

The matter turned into a political storm and an income tax nightmare for the IPL.

Wild charges are being hurled against Lalit Modi. There is no doubt that Congress and its cronies are behind all such allegations, smarting after one of their Ministers have been caught trying to get himself a 'sweet-heart' deal in the IPL.

http://www.zeenews.com/news620270.html

BCCI may strip Modi off IPL Chairman post: Reports

Updated on Monday, April 19, 2010, 11:53 IST
Zeecric Bureau

New Delhi: It might be the end of ‘good times’ for Lalit Modi as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) might strip him off his post of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Commissioner.

Modi, the master-mind behind the extravagant and cash-rich IPL, has been under the scanner of late for his public spat with minister of state for external affairs Shashi Tharoor over the ownership of the IPL Kochi franchise.

Sources in the BCCI claim that the apex body will most certainly sack Modi from his position as they do not ‘approve’ of Modi’s way of functioning and may move a resolution to either curb his powers as an IPL Chairman or sack him from the post altogather.

“BCCI president Shashank Manohar is not in favour of Lalit Modi and doesn’t approve of his way of functioning”, a source said.

“Everyone is upset at what is happening now. The governing council will meet in the next two days,” said a BCCI official.

According to some sources, BCCI is likely to move a resolution of removal on May 2.

Most members of the IPL governing council met in Dharamshala over the weekend and Modi had almost no support. The only support Modi currently has is from former BCCI president and current ICC vice president Sharad Pawar.

The technicalities of the administrative structure of the board is such that if Modi challenges the decision, matters can go all the way up to the BCCI general body, in which case each of the 30 state cricket associations that comprise the cricket board and the body’s president will have the final say in the matter.

The only way Modi can survive this ordeal is by somehow winning the support of at least 16 state associations at the general body.

However, it will be very tough for Modi to win over so many state associations because most cricket administrators are upset at the high level of scrutiny Modi has caused to bring upon the activities of BCCI and associated bodies.


My bet is that BCCI would do nothing of that sort (sacking Lalit Modi) because they are in the thick of it together.

http://www.zeenews.com/news620261.html

Shashi Tharoor resigns

Sunday, April 18, 2010, 23:04 IST Zeenews Bureau

New Delhi: Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh late Sunday night, the second time in a day, and submitted his resignation. The PM has forwarded Tharoor's resignation to President Pratibha Patil with a recommendation that it may be accepted, PMO spokesman said.

Tharoor reached the Race Course residence of the PM moments after Dr Singh held a meeting of the Congress Core group including Sonia Gandhi.

Tharoor drove into the Race Course residence of the Prime Minister moments after Singh held a meeting of the Congress Core group including Sonia Gandhi.

The meeting discussed continuance of the minister in the wake of controversy over allotment of sweat equity of the value of Rs 70 crore to his friend Sunanda Pushkar by the IPL Kochi franchise.

First Gandhi met Singh one-on-one before the Core Group discussions. Tharoor, whose removal has been demanded by the Opposition on grounds of corruption, had met Singh at noon to give his side of the story.

There was no official word on all these meetings.

Earlier in the day, Tharoor met the Prime Minister for 50 minutes to present his side of the story over the IPL controversy involving him and close friend Sunanda Pushkar, who today gave up her controversial stake in the Kochi franchise.

Tharoor is at the centre of a row regarding the Indian Premier League Kochi franchise business in which Pushkar got sweat equity worth Rs 70 crore.

The issue has turned out to be an explosive crisis for the government with the BJP and communist parties charging the beleaguered Tharoor with corruption.

The BJP today, meanwhile, charged the beleaguered Tharoor with corruption, saying Pushkar's action to surrender her stake was an admission of guilt.

"The surrounding suspicious circumstances outline that he (Tharoor) abused his authority for undue enrichment for his friend (Pushkar)," BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

Prasad alleged that Pushkar was a front for Tharoor in the IPL deal. "He (Tharoor) is the beneficiary, and that is why in haste all these laws were violated and sweat equity was issued (to her)."

The BJP threatened to stall parliament Monday if the government didn't sack Tharoor.

IPL commissioner Lalit Modi ignited the controversy a week ago when he revealed the ownership pattern of Kochi IPL, stating that Pushkar, who is based in Dubai, owned free equity in Rendezvous Sports World, a member of the consortium that won the Kochi franchise.

Modi accused Tharoor of asking him not to reveal the ownership details -- a charge the minister denied.

Pushkar's lawyer Ashish Mehta announced Sunday -- hours after a television channel claimed that she got the equity in violation of Company Law -- that she was giving up the stake to Rendezvous Sports World.

"I had been looking forward to contributing over the next 10 years to building the team's brand... However, I can no longer imagine being able to find the enthusiasm required to associate myself with any IPL activity in the foreseeable future," Pushkar said in a letter to Rendezvous.

In the letter read out by her lawyer, Pushar said she was "deeply distressed at the violent, malicious reporting" surrounding her role in Rendezvous.

Mehta insisted that her decision was not related to Tharoor. "She herself is very hurt as a woman, as a professional. It has got nothing to do with Tharoor."

Pushkar, who is originally from Kashmir, alleged she was being targeted because she was a woman.

But the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) was not impressed.

Its leader Nilotpal Basu said the Left parties wanted Tharoor to quit. Pushkar's surrender of her stake doesn't help, Basu said. "If Pushkar had done no wrong, as she has claimed, why should she give up her stake?"

Communist Party of India's D. Raja said in similar vein: "If there was nothing murky, why did Sunanda (Pushkar) surrender?"

Shashi Tharoor's resignation should lead to the logical corollary of the Cochin franchise of IPL being canceled and a fresh tender being called for.

http://www.zeenews.com/news620165.html

Answer Rajdeep Sardesai's questions

Q. Why is it so difficult to fight the Maoists?
03:54 PM, Apr 09, 2010


Maoists are our own citizens influenced in a different way. The basic way to defeat them is the ideological way. The ideology that would defeat them thoroughly is nationalism. We have failed to give importance to the ideology of nationalism in our fight against anti-national forces and therefore the Maoists have taken their ideology to practical implementation through violence. While we have the para-military forces to handle the armed violence of the Maoists, unless we as a nation are imbued with nationalism, the Indian army will find it has too many to kill to stop anti-national violence. This is what we as a nation have to understand.

http://ibnlive.in.com/blaze/rajdeepsardesai/answer/topic/1/149450.html

Modi acting under pressure from Gujarat CM: Kochi

15/04/2010
New Delhi: In the eye of storm over its ownership pattern, Indian Premier League's Kochi franchise today alleged that IPL commissioner Lalit Modi is targetting the new team under pressure from Chief Minister of western state of Gujarat Narendra Modi.

The Kochi team is under the scanner for allegedly giving 'free equity' to Dubai-based entrepreneur Sunanda Pushkar, who is a close friend of the Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor.
"We were told that we won't be allowed to work. The Adani group and Narendra Modi had a stake in the Ahmedabad IPL bid.
After we won the bid, our investors spoke to (former BCCI chief) Sharad Pawar and asked him which city to choose. He said 'you can take your pick', so we decided to take Kochi," the franchise' spokesperson Satyajit Gaekwad told reporters here.
Source: PTI

K.Venugopal
#1
Thursday, 15 April 2010 17:21:42
I think the controversy surrounding the Cochin deal requires cancellation of the tender and issue of fresh tender under a new IPL Chairman.

http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3822911&pgnew=true&_p=c7f9821f-fb15-4fac-a4d4-135e9539fc55&_nwpt=1#uc2Lstc7f9821f-fb15-4fac-a4d4-135e9539fc55

No Maoists in West Bengal, claims Mamata

15/04/2010

Kolkata:Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has said there are no Maoists in West Bengal.
Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, Banerjee claimed there are about 200 camps of the Communist Party India (Marxist), which have unleashed violence across the state. Criticising the so-called Operation Green Hunt of the government, Banerjee said the operation is being carried out to suppress or kill rural folk in the area.
"The operation is being carried out in the name of a joint operation. There are no Maoists in this region. There are 200 camps of the CPI-M operating in the area. Why would the CPI-M be involved in a government operation? Government operation is administrative operation. I have doubts about the operation itself," she said.
She demanded the arrest of West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee alleging that he had misused his powers under the Constitution. "Why should not any action be taken against him because of his politics of individual killings and mass murder? I feel it is my social responsibility to say so," she added.
''Operation Green Hunt'' is a joint exercise conducted by the central paramilitary and State police force to track down and flush out Maoists from their camps in forest regions.
It was initially conducted in West Bengal and later extended in Jharkhand. The districts covered in Jharkhand are West Singbhum, East Singbhum, Ranchi, Latehar, Chatra, Hazaribagh and Bokaro.
Source: Indian Express

Venu10
#1
Thursday, 15 April 2010 17:05:37
Mamata Banerjee will court the devil to oust her arch enemy the Marxists from power and we have to admire her single minded determination to achieve her goal. But when it comes to national security, we cannot be blinded by short-term political gains or loses. Her very claim that there are no Maoists in Bengal qualifies her to be admitted to the mental asylum. The GoI must do what it takes to annihilate the Maoist/Naxalite threat to the Indian nation. If Marxists are in cahoots with the Maoist or Naxalites, such Marxists or Communists must be isolated and not permitted to strengthen the Maoists.

http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3822923&pgnew=true&_p=6a0eff7e-ae15-4f4c-bcbb-1a75db45c7aa&_nwpt=1#uc2Lst6a0eff7e-ae15-4f4c-bcbb-1a75db45c7aa

Khap panchayats seek amendment of Hindu marriage act

KURUKSHETRA: Defiant leaders of various 'khap panchayats' or caste councils on Tuesday decided to support six people convicted by a Haryana court for an honour killing and sought an amendment to the Hindu Marriage Act saying marriages within the same 'gotra' or sub-caste should be banned.

At a chaotic meeting of the mahapanchayat of over 20 khaps from across Haryana and adjoining states, a section of the leaders suddenly announced their decision to support the six convicts, five of whom were last month sentenced to death for killing Manoj and Babli in 2007 for marrying within the same gotra.

The decision of the Sarv Khap Sarv Jaat Mahasammelan was, however, opposed by a section of khap leaders from Haryana saying all views were not allowed to be expressed at the meeting.

Khap leaders blocked a road here in protest saying the Haryana government would have to assure them that it would write to the central government seeking an amendment in the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, to completely ban marriages within the same sub-caste and even the same village.

During speeches made by various khap leaders, some speakers said the conviction by the Karnal court was against the tradition maintained by the khaps.

"We don't want a constitution or a law that goes against our age-old tradition," one speaker said, virtually challenging the Indian Constitution.

The meeting also decided to collect Rs.10 each from all people who were part of any khap to meet the expenses of defending those convicted for the honour killing of the couple.

With the Khap panchayat asking for their marriage laws to be accepted as legal, the issue of a common civil code has to be revisited. The common or uniform civil code is not a code that intends to steamroller all personal laws into one mishmash of common civil law. It is simply to ensure that all Indian citizens, apart from being governed according to their community based personal laws, have the option to be governed under the civil laws of the constitution of India. A couple opting out of a community based personal law would automatically come under the protection of the civil personal law of the Indian constitution. The only law that can attract punishment if not complied with has to be the laws set out in the constitution. All the other personal laws can only function as an option to be exercised by anyone willing to exercise that option. The Khap panchayat, in punishing a couple to death for not abiding by their community based personal law has abrogated to itself a power that is vested only in the Indian state and therefore committed violation against the constitution of India. Thus, the decision of the court to award death penalty to the accused in the murder of the couple is an inevitable decision and must be supported by everyone who believes in the supremacy of the Indian constitution and therefore the Indian state and nation.


http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/Khap-panchayats-seek-amendment-of-Hindu-marriage-act/articleshow/5797274.cms