LDALL IPL 2LST

With ally NCP in trouble and Government under attack, the
Congress Core Group, chaired by Sonia Gandhi, met in the
evening and decided that Prime Minister will take a final call
on the issue of setting up JPC.
The Government may decide on the issue by Monday to take
the steam off the Opposition so that its financial business,
commencing with the Guillotine on demands for grants on
Tuesday and the passage of finance bill later is not
disrupted.
The Oppositon leaders also targeted Patel in the wake of
reports that his daughter Poorna allegedly pulled out an
aircraft from a scheduled Delhi-Coimbatore flight for
operating a chartered flight for an Indian Premier LeagueL
team from Chandigarh to Chennai. Air India, however, denied
the charge.
Former Union Minister and senior BJP leader Yashwant
Sinha told reporters outside Parliament that "propriety
demands that in order to ensure an impartial probe, the
ministers should not not be in their position.
"It will be in order that those in the circle of
suspicion quit so that the an impartial probe could be carried
out."
However, his party colleague and Deputy Leader in Rajya
Sabha S S Ahluwalia said "clinching evidence" is required
before seeking Ministers' ouster. But he also said he endorsed
whatever Sinha has said.
Swaraj said allegations were flying thick and fast that
two senior ministers in the government had a role to play in
the controversy.
Though she did not name any minister, her attack came
against the backdrop of reports that Civil Aviation Minister
Praful Patel had given details of projections of new
franchisee valuations to Shashi Tharoor two days before the
Kochi IPL team was bid.
There are also allegations that a close relative of a
senior Minister, belonging to a United Progressive Alliance
partner, had benefited.
Swaraj said now reports had come out that the ministers
had indulged in "gross misuse of power" including diversion of
a civilian aircraft for the IPL players.
"The whole issue (of IPL) should be probed. The Leader of
the House had said they are ready to probe. We feel
investigating agencies will not be able to bring the truth to
the fore. From day one of the episode, we have demanded that
JPC be constituted to look into this," she said.
Supporting her, Janta Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav
said there were "all sorts of allegations" against IPL
Commissioner Lalit Modi "of looting the whole system from here
to Rajasthan."
Pressing for accountability for the cricket T20 league
too, he said IPL should be answerable to Parliament and the
whole country.
Yadav said Sports Minister M S Gill was talking as if he
was in the Opposition, but nobody took note of it.
Alleging that "illegal money" from both Mauritius and
Swiss banks had been invested in IPL, the JD(U) member said it
was necessary for constituting the JPC to probe all aspects of
the tournament. PTI ARC
KAB


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