Let JPC probe IPL affairs:Yechury

CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury on Friday demanded that a Joint Parliamentary Committee be constituted to probe the affairs of the Indian Premier League.

Answering questions about the alleged involvement of Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor in mentoring the IPL Kochi franchise, he told journalists here that the charge should be thoroughly probed. Mr. Tharoor should not continue as Minister until the enquiry was completed. This issue did not concern Mr. Tharoor alone. “It is a very big scandal, and a vulgar display of the difference between a shining India and a starving India.”

Maoist issue

Asked about the handling of the Maoist challenge by Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, Mr. Yechury said, “This is not the time to blame the Central government.” The April 6 massacre of 75 CRPF personnel in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh, was unprecedented. The challenge required a multi-pronged approach by the Centre and the governments of the five States where naxal menace was rampant — Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa.

The governments should have a strong political will to tackle the problem. They should also address the basic issues of people. “Let the governments take concerted efforts to tackle the challenge. We will do post mortem later.”