BCCI Dismisses Modi’s Arguments, Says Governing Council Meeting as per Schedule

The BCCI has dismissed the argument put forward by beleaguered IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi that April 26 IPL governing council meeting is illegal, making it clear that it will hold meeting as per schedule, reported PTI.

“It is his view point, everybody is entitled to their viewpoint,” BCCI president Shashank Manohar was quoted as saying while replying to a question about what he thinks about Modi’s contention that the meeting was unauthorised.

Also, it didn’t agree with Modi’s another contention that board secretary N Srinivasan could not hold the governing council meeting only because he is part of an IPL franchise, report said.

“It is not a question of owner. He (Srinivasan) is not calling the meeting as an owner of the team and in the board constitution, the secretary is the convenor of all meetings,” Manohar was quoted as saying.

“Whether there is conflict of interest is not an issue because Mr Srinivasan, when this issue had cropped up, had sought the permission of Mr Sharad Pawar, who was the president of the board then.

“Mr Pawar had granted him permission to bid and it is not Mr Srinivasan who is bidding, it was India cement which is bidding and after his bid was accepted it was confirmed by the general body,” he was quoted as saying.

The BCCI president also pointed out that while the board knew about Srinivasan’s stakes, it was not aware that Modi’s relatives and friends had stakes in the franchise and deals, said report.

“Mr Srinivasan was a declared bidder. If Modi and his relatives had a share in any of the franchises, he ought to have declared it at the meeting. I was not a member of governing council then. He ought to have told everybody,” he was quoted as saying.

Yesterday, Modi had questioned the legality of the governing council meeting to be held on April 26 saying that he alone had the power to convene such a meeting by virtue of being the IPL chairman.