After the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Left parties on Wednesday stepped up pressure demanding the resignation of Shashi Tharoor, saying it was “highly inappropriate” for a Union minister to be involved in “murky dealings” in connection with IPL.
Noting that the IPL is not just a sporting event but a “big business enterprise in which big money is involved, the CPI(M) said it was “highly inappropriate for a minister in the Union government to be involved in such murky dealings.”
“It is incumbent upon Mr. Tharoor to step down from office till his name is cleared of any unethical or irregular behaviour,” the party said in a statement here.
“The involvement of Mr. Tharoor in the IPL franchise for the Kochi team has raised a number of questions. It now transpires that a person associated with him has got 19 per cent free equity worth Rs. 70 crores in the company that led the consortium which got the franchise,” it said.
The CPI(M) also said the UPA government should also explain whether its ministers can be involved in business dealings in the name of IPL.
“The government should probe the source of certain funds flowing into the tournament and reconsider whether any tax exemptions or concessions are justified for this commercial enterprise,” it added.
CPI National Secretary D. Raja also demanded Mr. Tharoor’s resignation saying his continuance in the government has become “untenable“.
“There should be an enquiry into it. Mr. Tharoor should step down as his continuance has become untenable,” Mr. Raja said.
