"Will Have You Raided By ED": Lalit Modi Alleges Coercion By Shashi Tharoor During Kochi IPL Team Bid
During a recent podcast interview with Raj Shamani, former IPL chairman Lalit Modi accused Congress MP Shashi Tharoor of coercion and corruption during the league’s early years.
Although the IPL founder discussed a range of topics, including the row of controversies surrounding him and receiving death threats from notorious gangster Dawood Ibrahim and more, his accusations against Tharoor went viral on social media.
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In the clip, Lalit Modi states that he was “forcibly made to sign documents” granting Tharoor’s late wife Sunanda Pushkar a 25 percent ownership stake in the Kochi IPL team “for free.”
Recalling the Kochi bid, Modi said, “The second highest bid was $348 million by Kochi Tuskers. I looked at the 12 shareholders; it was supposed to be JP Group. All of a sudden, something totally different: I am tick marking everybody, and there’s one name I see out there, a lady by the name of Sunanda Pushkar.”
He goes on to say that Pushkar had $0 in the $50 million consortium but had an ownership of 25 percent in the team. He questioned the credentials of Pushkar, who was listed as a “marketing genius,” he said.
“Plus, for every dollar coming in, revenue line, she gets 15% of it. I said I am not going to sign this agreement. Immediately I get a call from Shashi Tharoor,” recalled the former Vice President of the BCCI.
The Lalit Modi and Shashi Tharoor saga!
Lesson: Businessman ko politicians se pange nahi lena chahiye 😄 pic.twitter.com/RRL2vHhzzZ
— Jasveer Singh (@jasveer10) November 24, 2024
Modi stated that Tharoor, the then junior federal minister, allegedly threatened him with investigations by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and income tax authorities. “(Tharoor said), ‘Don’t you dare ask about Sunanda Pushkar; if you do, I’ll have you raided by ED tomorrow, you’ll be taken by Income Tax, and we will jail you,’” Lalit Modi said.
Later that night, Modi recalled that he got a call from Shashank Manohar, former chairperson of the ICC, who told him to sign the agreement tonight. “(Manohar said) I have received many calls from 10 Janpath, and you need to sign it tonight,” he added. “10 Janpath” is a reference to Congress’ Gandhi family.
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Despite expressing his disagreement to Manohar, Lalit Modi added that he had to sign the agreement under alleged pressure from Tharoor, BCCI officials, and political people associated with the Congress party.
The founder of IPL said that the next morning, he found out through news headlines that “Sunanda Pushkar getting married to Shashi Tharoor.” “Now all the pieces started to fall in place,” he said.
He also criticised the handling of IPL under the Congress government, which allegedly led to mismanagement and corruption and Kerala losing its IPL team, Kochi Tuskers, which made a brief appearance in the debut season of IPL. Following a huge controversy, allegations of threats, and more, Tharoor resigned from his post, and Modi was charged with alleged irregularities, rigging bids, and more.
