Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray on Friday blamed Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar for the mess in the IPL.
Mr. Thackeray told journalists that banning the IPL was not the solution; instead the government must go to the root of the mess. His rival party, the Shiv Sena, had called for a ban on the IPL to save cricket. While Mr. Pawar had said he was not connected with the IPL, the Maharashtra government did not levy entertainment tax on the tournament, he pointed out. Whose advice was the Chief Minister following in this matter? Someone should clarify this, he demanded, in response to questions.
Why night matches?
He also called for a rethink on holding matches at night in a State which had an acute shortage of power. Attacking Mr. Pawar, he asked how come he did not know the kind of people who were involved in this mess? Didn't Mr. Pawar know that Lalit Modi was involved in a drug case some years ago, he asked.
Suddenly Mr. Modi had no supporters. If the Modi-Shashi Tharoor war had not happened, this whole issue would not have hit the limelight, he added. He also said that resignations would not help matters, and the Centre should do a thorough investigation and clean up the mess.
The MNS will celebrate the golden jubilee of the formation of Maharashtra with a food festival showcasing cuisine from five different regions of the State, from April 25 to 29 at the Andheri sports complex. It will also have a programme on the eve of May 1 to commemorate the event.
