14 April,2010 05:53 PM IST | | Agencies
Unfazed by Shashi Tharoor's counter-attack, IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi today maintained that there was a question mark over the owners of IPL Kochi franchisee and they would deal with it.
In the midst of a raging controversy in which the Minister of State for External Affairs has been drawn into, Modi told a press conference here that he would call a meeting of the IPL Governing Council after April 25 and discuss the issue.
"As regards all earlier franchisees we know who the owners are. They come, they attend conferences and meetings but as far as Kochi IPL is concerned we had a question mark.
"Even those who presented the bid documents do not know who they (owners) are," he said in reply to questions over Kochi team ownership, following a controversy that Tharoor's close friend Sunanda Pushkar has got a free equity of 19 per cent valued at about Rs 70 crores in the consortium that owns the team.
Replying to a question he said in the case of eight teams already in the IPL, Modi said everybody knew who the shareholders were but in the case of Kochi even the shareholders did not know.
Calling it a "small issue, nevertheless an issue" Modi said,"We will deal with it." To a question about his interest in Rajasthan Royals team, he said, "I have no hidden agenda or hidden stake." Asked if the latest controversy has affected him, he said, "No, nothing."
Modi earlier told PTI that it was a job to seek details of every shareholder and authenticate the shareholding of every franchisee.
"It is my job as Chairman of IPL to seek details and authenticate the shareholding of every franchise... how would otherwise I know where the money is coming from," Modi said in reply to Tharoor who accused him of impropriety by divulging the details of the shareholding of Kochi franchise.
