Site icon The Commune

‘I Will Have You Raided By ED’: Lalit Modi Alleges Coercion By Congress MP Shashi Tharoor During Kochi IPL Team Purchase Bid Process

The Commune

In a recent podcast interview with Raj Shamani, former IPL chairman Lalit Modi, revealed a whole lot of things ranging from the reasons behind his departure from India in 2010, death threats by underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, multiple documented assassination attempts orchestrated by Ibrahim, the IPL history, and what was the most explosive revelation was the involvement of Congress member Shashi Tharoor during the IPL team purchase bids.

During the conversation, Modi also accused Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and the party’s leadership of coercion and corruption during the league’s early years. Modi alleged that he was “forcibly made to sign documents” granting Sunanda Pushkar, Tharoor’s late wife, a 25% ownership stake worth millions in the Kochi IPL team without any financial contribution on her part. He further claimed that the Congress-led UPA government, including “10 Janpath” (a reference to the Gandhi family), fostered an environment of unchecked corruption during its tenure.

He also criticized the handling of IPL affairs under the Congress government, alleging that mismanagement and corruption led to Kerala losing its IPL team. Modi’s allegations revive the controversies surrounding the Kochi IPL franchise, which was mired in financial and political disputes during its brief existence.

Here are two videos that are being shared on social media relating to Shashi Tharoor.

Lalit Modi says, “The second highest bid was $348 million by Kochi Tuskers. I looked at the 12 shareholders, it was supposed to be JP Group. All of a sudden, something totally different, I am tick marking everybody and there’s one name I see out there, a lady by the name of Sunanda Pushkar. Sunanda Pushkar in the agreement had $0 in the $50 million consortium but owns 25% of the team for free! Plus for every dollar coming in, revenue line, she gets 15% of it. I said I am not going to sign this agreement. Immediately I get a call from Shashi Tharoor. He said, “Don’t you dare ask about Sunanda Pushkar, if you I’ll have you raided by ED tomorrow, you’ll be taken by Income Tax and we will jail you.”

In another video, he explains how Tharoor allegedly coerced Modi into signing an agreement that granted a significant financial stake to Sunanda Pushkar, Tharoor’s late wife, under questionable circumstances. Modi detailed the events alleging undue pressure from Tharoor, BCCI officials, and political figures linked to the Congress party.

According to Modi, during discussions about the Kochi IPL franchise, he questioned the credentials of the consortium’s shareholders. He discovered that Sunanda Pushkar, listed as a “marketing genius,” held a 25% stake in the team valued at $300 million, despite contributing no capital to the $50 million consortium. Pushkar was also entitled to 15% of the franchise’s revenue, not profits.

When Modi sought clarification about Pushkar’s involvement, he claims Tharoor responded aggressively, allegedly threatening him with investigations by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and income tax authorities. “Don’t you dare ask about Sunanda Pushkar,” Tharoor allegedly told him, warning of dire consequences if Modi did not comply.

The situation escalated when then-BCCI president Shashank Manohar reportedly intervened, pressuring Modi to sign the agreement immediately. Despite his objections, Modi said he was forced to sign the agreement under duress, recording this in the meeting’s minutes.

He says, “Then I am being pressured, I must sign this deal why Mr. Shashi Tharoor is pressuring. I told him I haven’t signed the deal but let me meet all the shareholders. And I ask all the shareholders you guys, one by one I would like to ask each one of you a question and everything is recorded by the way, all my meetings are always recorded, tell me what your background is, I don’t know you, I don’t know you, I don’t know you, I don’t know you, I don’t know you, I don’t know you, I don’t know you and I’m in the Cricket World, I would know everybody in the Cricket World or the business world, that is to know but it doesn’t matter it’s not my knowing, you may be who you are and everybody gives their credentials out there. And then I’m tick marking everybody and there’s one name I see out there who’s missing and it is a lady by the name of Sunanda Pushkar. Now Sunanda Pushkar in the agreement has $0 in the $50 million Consortium but owns 25% of the team for free, plus for every dollar coming in the revenue line, not profit line, revenue line, she gets 15% of it. As marketing genius written there. There, so one guy Mr Gaekwad speaks up in a low tone, he says, my father knows this lady and he brought her into the Consortium, so can I speak to your father, called the father. I said who is Sunanda Pushkar. I asked him, you have brought in Sunanda Pushkar, you are giving her 25% share, and 15% on top of it, you shareholders who own 75% are funding her and your total consortium cost is $50 million. This means that you are funding entirely, you are giving her as well, this means that a share if it costs 10 rupees, today its value is 10 paisa but her share is worth 10000 rupees. Why are you giving her this bonanza? And you call her a marketing genius, can I please meet her at least? He said yes sir I will call you back, put the phone down. Immediately I get a call from Shashi Tharoor. He says how dare you ask about Sunanda Pushkar. Shashi, what is the problem you put a consortium, you know I’m having a meeting, why isn’t she here? Don’t you dare ask about Sunanda Pushkar, if you do, I will have you raided by ED tomorrow, you’ll be taken by income tax and we will jail you. Excuse me, who the hell do you think you are and I use the f word I said **** you and I banged the phone down and I said I’m not going to sign this agreement. There is something not right with this. Within a minute after that, it’s all minuted by the way, this is exactly minute in the board minutes, because there’s a meeting going on, minutes of the AGM. I get a call from Shashank Manohar who never calls at this time in the morning or ever. He was the president of BCCI, my only boss that I reported to, even as commissioner and chairman of IPL, I reported to him and he said to me, Lalit you will sign this agreement, I said Shashank you really don’t want me to sign this agreement, let’s sit down tomorrow I can fly into Nagpur and we’ll meet tomorrow morning, I’m going to Bombay instead of going to Bombay, I’ll fly to Nagpur and we can sit down on it and then decide yes or no. He said no you will sign it tonight. I said what’s the hurry about signing it tonight he said no you need to sign it tonight, I have received many calls from 10 Janpath and you need to sign it tonight. Exact words. I said I don’t care who 10 Janpath is or who anybody is, I’m not going to sign this agreement tonight. If you don’t, I will fire you on the spot. I said that’s fine, he didn’t say I will fire you, he said I will you run against me or something. I said that if you’re forcing me to sign it, then I will I will sign it under force and I will minute it on the agreement itself, that under duress and under force and as directed by the president of BCCI, I’m signing this agreement and not on my own accord and I signed the agreement. I’m done, water under the bridge as far as I’m concerned, and we go to bed. I get up in the morning, and every newspaper front page Sunanda Pushkar getting married to Shashi Tharoor. I had no idea, zero idea that was the case. Now all the pieces start to fall in place and I said this is not going to happen under my watch, it ain’t going to happen and I’m on the flame, I just tweeted taking off, who is the hell is this Sunanda Pushkar, rags to riches, billionairess, media expert, now the owner of Kochi Team, 25%, a bonanza – day one with one signature it’s worth hundreds of millions of dollars because the team went for hundreds of millions of dollars. She owns a free $300 million asset, right there.”

Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

Exit mobile version