Former IPL chairman Lalit Modi has made fresh allegations about the controversy surrounding the Kochi Tuskers Kerala franchise in 2010, claiming political pressure was exerted on him when he questioned the ownership structure of the team and the role of Sunanda Pushkar.
In an interview with news agency ANI, Lalit Modi alleged that when he tried to stop the Kochi consortium from entering the IPL because of what he believed was an unfair equity arrangement involving Pushkar, the then United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government turned against him.
When asked who was backing Congress leader Shashi Tharoor during the controversy, Lalit Modi replied, "Sonia Gandhi. All guns were trained on me from every side. I got calls from Ahmed Patel; I got calls from Pranab Mukherjee in those days... I was friendly with everyone of them. You had Rajiv Shukla coming up to me, telling me, do this, do that."
According to Lalit Modi, concerns arose after the Kochi consortium won the franchise rights with a bid of USD 350 million. He claimed the financial structure of the consortium raised questions because some shareholders were paying the full cost while another stakeholder was receiving equity without contributing proportionately.
Recalling discussions with consortium members, Lalit Modi said, "All the shareholders were there except for the lady, Sunanda Pushkar. You're giving away 25% shares to a lady called Sunanda Pushkar. Who is she? You're giving up 15% of the revenue. Who is she?"
He further said, "How can somebody pay $350 million for a consortium where 75% of the shareholders are paying 100% of the cost, and someone else is getting 25% free equity?"
Lalit Modi alleged that the value of Pushkar's stake increased sharply once the franchise was awarded. "For her 10-rupee share, on the day she got the team, it was worth 1 lakh rupees. Their 10-rupee share was worth 1 paisa. I knew this was going to collapse. And what happened? Two years down the line, it did," he said.
He also claimed that during a meeting in Bengaluru, he refused to sign the franchise agreement until he knew the identity of all shareholders. Recalling the episode, he said, "I had no idea who Sunanda Pushkar was. I asked the consortium members, 'Who is she?' One guy says she's an automobile dealer's child, a famous marketing person. I said, 'Hello, I'm a marketing person in India, and I don't know who she is."
Lalit Modi further alleged that he later received a call from then Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor.
"I get a call from Shashi Tharoor on the phone," Lalit Modi recalled. "He says, 'Lalit, don't ask about Sunanda Pushkar. She is a good friend of mine.' I asked why, and he said, 'If you do, I'll have you raided in the morning.' I said, 'Screw you. Who the hell do you think you are? You may be the Foreign Minister of India, but don't you dare ever tell me this.' I slammed the phone and said I would not sign."
Lalit Modi also claimed that he had supported Kochi's entry into the IPL despite Kerala not having a stadium that met requirements at the time.
"Tharoor sucked up to me at that time to do it. He'd come to my house. He was a smooth talker without doubt. I fell for it," he said.
He further alleged that then BCCI president Shashank Manohar called him late at night and instructed him to sign the franchise agreement immediately. Lalit Modi said he wanted to delay the signing until the next morning but was overruled.
"I told him, 'Shashank, I will sign this agreement under duress. And I will note it on the document that the President is forcing me to sign.' And I did note it," he said.
Speaking about his exchanges with Sunanda Pushkar on social media before her death in 2014, Lalit Modi said, "That morning, Sunanda was communicating with me on Twitter... she said, ' Should I disclose? I said, " Go ahead and disclose."
He also claimed that he never spoke to Pushkar in person.
Pushkar was found dead in a suite of a luxury hotel in New Delhi on January 17, 2014.
The Kochi franchise was terminated by the BCCI in 2011 after playing only one IPL season. Owned by KCPL and RSW, Kochi finished eighth among 10 teams in IPL 2011. Tharoor resigned as minister of state for external affairs in April 2010 following the controversy.
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