New Delhi: The Opposition calls for the Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar to resign after reports of his ownership of a company that bid for the IPL franchisee. Although his daughter and NCP MP Supriya Sule denies any link of their family with the bid, she admits her family should have been more transparent. CNN-IBN spoke to BJP spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad on the controversy.
CNN-IBN: You have heard the defence of the Pawars all through the day, they had nothing to do with this bid. Mr Deshpande has bid only in his personal capacity. What's so inherently wrong with that argument. After all this bid did not win.
R Prasad: My objection is very fundamental. Mr. Sharad Pawar and his family have stated that they have no interest in the entire bidding process of the IPL. It was only the love of the game of sports. But now it is coming in public domain that it was love for the commerce of cricket which was more important. Now Citi Corportaion did bid in the corporate capacity, the tender documents were purchased in the corporate capacity, the bidding was done in the corporate capacity. Now an alibi is being raised that subsequently the board of Citi Corporation resolved that he will go on individual capacity. This is something very strange, completely against the norms of corporate governance.
CNN-IBN: At the end of it Mr Ravishankar, this bid didn't win. Surely, a man like Mr Sharad Pawar who has ruled Indian cricket for so long, if he was truly interested in an IPL team, would have ensured that his bid won.
R Prasad: You are again not understanding the true import. As far as the personal issue of the IPL is concerned, they might have done alibis. But here I am on a more fundamental issue. Namely, the political leader of the stature of Mr. Sharad Pawar, such a senior leader of the country, publicly stating that he has no relationship whatsoever with the bidding process of the IPL. Now, it is in public domain that he misled the country. If Citi Corporation would have been successful with one thousand one hundred odd bidding amount, they would have got the Pune franchisee. But they failed is a separate chapter altogether. In that Pune company, Sharad Pawar and his family has 16.22 percent interest, a significant amount, though 100 percent owned campany is not denied.
First of all try to understand the point I am making. The point is of misrepresentation by a leader of this country who happens to be a senior minister. He said that we have no interest whatsoever in the entire bidding process of the IPL. Now the evidence is there. That the company which bid in a corporate capacity has a 16.22 percent interest controlled by a family-owned company of Sharad Pawar. Is it a fact or not? If it is a fact, it's a gross case of lack of transparency, of misrepresentation. That's what I am saying.
CNN-IBN: You are demanding his resignation. At the end Mr Prasad, it's very clear the Congress did act against Tharoor, but taking action against Pawar is not going to be so easy. Allies are allies.
R Prasad: You are entitled to have your judgment and we are entitled to have our own view about the course we are required to take. I think we are very much on firmer ground. If a senior political leader of the country publicly misrepresents facts before the people of this country, misleads as far as the facts are concerned, which are found to be incorrect, that is a very serious omission which cannot be taken lightly. And, in the wake of the murky dealing of the IPL, this is not a small omission and therefore he owes an explanation and certainly needs to resign.
CNN-IBN: What is your reaction to Supriya Sule's statement?
R Prasad: You don't put me against the words of Supriya Sule. That's not fair on your part. As far as I am concerned, I am very clear about what I am stating. I only wish to say that they understated that 'we only love the game of cricket and the buck stops there'.
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