IPL & PIL
The news flow about the IPL new franchisee for Kochi team reads more than that meets the eye. First let us go through the chronology of events regarding this controversy, named IPL, biggest Indian tamasha, where sports only takes a back seat. (Event Chronology: Courtesy: ET)
Let me put forth the fact sheet before explaining why I took this subject for my blog today.
IPL, starting from the very first tournament, is mired in so many unsporting news. We all know the shady character of this man called Mr. Lalit Modi, his rise to this position as Commissioner of IPL, an institution in himself. Nobody knows what is happening during the IPL matches. A lot of VIPs and dignitaries, particularly this man named Lalit Modi would be coming to the stadia only to talk continuously on their mobile phones busy discussing something. To credit them appropriately, they could be discussing what should happen during the so called strategic break. IPL has changed the face of Cricket altogether. You really do not know why a catch is taken just to be dropped before it could be termed legal, you really do not know why a classy batsmen leaves his stumps just to get them dislodged, you really do not know why a good bowler bowls waywardly, you just do not know what changes the game immediately after the strategic time out, you really do not know how a team with a hopeless combination becomes so invincible one night. I used to get so much confused with these thoughts. It used to appear to me like a different version of WWF on TV. There is definitely more to what we see on TV during and before these matches. But then many of you may say that in every sport today there is an iota of doubt about the outcome, with money and drugs playing a big role. So let us not go deep into the subject which I am not so competent to comment about. Then I started taking it as a sheer entertainment, watch it just for the sake of fun, if you enjoy cricket and if you can spare some time for watching it.
Doesn't it look like horse races, where you have owners, betting and behind the screen clandestine deals taking place? How so much money is involved officially in the IPL is a big mystery. If that is so, the biggest mystery would be from where this money is being pumped in. How Mr. Shashi Tharoor, who is busy mostly tweeting than doing his job as a minister of state for External affairs(or is it called foreign affairs!) can take recluse from the Constitution of India(even if it is OK as per the IPL Constitution to keep the free equity holders names confidential) as to what, pecuniary or otherwise, interest he has in seeing through this deal by Rendezvous group. He says he is just a facilitator for this deal. One cannot be so naive to take his version. It makes very interesting news. First Ms. Sunanda Pushkar saying now that she is paid in kind for her marketing, networking abilities in clinching this deal. So this has translated to her getting the 18% of the so called free equity(do you believe in free lunches?) from the Rendezvous group. She also says says that saying that Tharoor has acted as proxy for her is insulting on her friendship and more on her womanhood. What an idea sirji(rather madamji)! Where from this womanhood comes into this allegation/revelation?
Let us wish that like in our movies, when two big baddies fight over the share of the spoils, facts would come out in the open.
What if tomorrow it is revealed through the investigation that the baddies like Dawood Ibrahim and his ilk are pumping money through benamis? There is every chance for such things to happen. Let the Income Tax department which wants every pie of the salaried class or ordinary citizens of the country to leave its trace do a thorough job in investigating the source of this big money. It is high time if these deals are conforming to the IT act and FERA/FEMA acts.
I wish someone with enough time, enthusiasm and energy file a Public Interest Litigation(PIL) to reveal the names of all these so called owners of the old 8 teams as well as the newly added 2 teams so that we would be knowing what is the share of the taxpayers' money and what is that of the ubiquitous black money involved in this nautanki called IPL. Let the PIL expose all those who are involved in this as it really matters to the general public. You really do not know, if country's security is at stake when the names of the people who are equity holders of the ownership groups is kept confidential. For sure, there is much more than meets the eye!
Let me put forth the fact sheet before explaining why I took this subject for my blog today.
IPL, starting from the very first tournament, is mired in so many unsporting news. We all know the shady character of this man called Mr. Lalit Modi, his rise to this position as Commissioner of IPL, an institution in himself. Nobody knows what is happening during the IPL matches. A lot of VIPs and dignitaries, particularly this man named Lalit Modi would be coming to the stadia only to talk continuously on their mobile phones busy discussing something. To credit them appropriately, they could be discussing what should happen during the so called strategic break. IPL has changed the face of Cricket altogether. You really do not know why a catch is taken just to be dropped before it could be termed legal, you really do not know why a classy batsmen leaves his stumps just to get them dislodged, you really do not know why a good bowler bowls waywardly, you just do not know what changes the game immediately after the strategic time out, you really do not know how a team with a hopeless combination becomes so invincible one night. I used to get so much confused with these thoughts. It used to appear to me like a different version of WWF on TV. There is definitely more to what we see on TV during and before these matches. But then many of you may say that in every sport today there is an iota of doubt about the outcome, with money and drugs playing a big role. So let us not go deep into the subject which I am not so competent to comment about. Then I started taking it as a sheer entertainment, watch it just for the sake of fun, if you enjoy cricket and if you can spare some time for watching it.
Doesn't it look like horse races, where you have owners, betting and behind the screen clandestine deals taking place? How so much money is involved officially in the IPL is a big mystery. If that is so, the biggest mystery would be from where this money is being pumped in. How Mr. Shashi Tharoor, who is busy mostly tweeting than doing his job as a minister of state for External affairs(or is it called foreign affairs!) can take recluse from the Constitution of India(even if it is OK as per the IPL Constitution to keep the free equity holders names confidential) as to what, pecuniary or otherwise, interest he has in seeing through this deal by Rendezvous group. He says he is just a facilitator for this deal. One cannot be so naive to take his version. It makes very interesting news. First Ms. Sunanda Pushkar saying now that she is paid in kind for her marketing, networking abilities in clinching this deal. So this has translated to her getting the 18% of the so called free equity(do you believe in free lunches?) from the Rendezvous group. She also says says that saying that Tharoor has acted as proxy for her is insulting on her friendship and more on her womanhood. What an idea sirji(rather madamji)! Where from this womanhood comes into this allegation/revelation?
Let us wish that like in our movies, when two big baddies fight over the share of the spoils, facts would come out in the open.
What if tomorrow it is revealed through the investigation that the baddies like Dawood Ibrahim and his ilk are pumping money through benamis? There is every chance for such things to happen. Let the Income Tax department which wants every pie of the salaried class or ordinary citizens of the country to leave its trace do a thorough job in investigating the source of this big money. It is high time if these deals are conforming to the IT act and FERA/FEMA acts.
I wish someone with enough time, enthusiasm and energy file a Public Interest Litigation(PIL) to reveal the names of all these so called owners of the old 8 teams as well as the newly added 2 teams so that we would be knowing what is the share of the taxpayers' money and what is that of the ubiquitous black money involved in this nautanki called IPL. Let the PIL expose all those who are involved in this as it really matters to the general public. You really do not know, if country's security is at stake when the names of the people who are equity holders of the ownership groups is kept confidential. For sure, there is much more than meets the eye!
Sir, first let me tell you took the words right out of my mouth regarding IPL. Long story short, the idea behind IPL, as in Mr.Modi's prespective is "We are all here to make money". Someone should get on top of all these, as you wished, and put it in front of people. When will that happen??.
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