Lalit Modi says he won't quit as IPL chief

New Delhi: IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi who arrived in Mumbai on Tuesday, put all speculation to rest saying he is going to stay as the IPL chief. Modi will be meeting BCCI former chief and ICC vice-president Shahrad Pawar later.

Modi said: "We are having a conversation with Sharad Pawar. We are all one in it. No need for me to step down, reports of stepping down is speculation."

Modi was accompanied by I S Bindra, former BCCI president and a heavyweight in the Indian cricket board. Bindra is known to support Modi while a powerful section, led by BCCI President Shashank Manohar, is out to remove Modi from the IPL top job.

Earlier, Union Minister Sharad Pawar had met Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Home Minister P Chidambaram in New Delhi on Tuesday. It was reportedly, decided that Pawar would ask Modi to resign as IPL Commissioner.

Manohar had also met Pawar in the morning and was assured that Modi would go but after the IPL tournament gets over on April 25. Manohar discussed the allegations of betting and financial irregularity against Modi with Pawar and had reportedly provided some documents, giving details of land dealings done by Modi.

"We will take a collective decision. I don't know anyone else's opinion. It will be a collective decision and the governing council will take the decision," Manohar had told reporters after meeting Pawar, who had also maintained the same.

Sources say the final decision on Modi's ouster will be taken by Tuesday evening but ratified only after the IPL governing council meeting on April 26. The top brass of the BCCI including Manohar, Secretary N Srinivasan, and Congress MP and BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla who also heads the board's media and finance committee, are said to be against Modi's continuing as the IPL chief.

The others who are against Modi include IPL vice-chairman Niranjan Shah, BCCI vice-president Chirayu Amin and BCCI joint secretary Sanjay Jagdale. However, Modi has got the support of former BCCI chief IS Bindra, Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association boss Farooq Abdullah and BCCI Honorary Treasurer MP Pandove. The people who are the fence sitters include BCCI vice-president and DDCA President Arun Jaitley, and the former Indian cricketers Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi.

Modi and Pawar had discussed the IPL controversy during the ICC board meeting in Dubai. Pawar briefed Modi about the likely fallout of the Kochi controversy which also involved Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who was forced to resign from the Union Ministry for his alleged links with the Kerala team.

The Government is also gunning for Modi and if he does not step down from the IPL then he might be in more trouble as a number of charges related to income tax evasion have been initiated. The Enforcement Directorate is also investigating the IPL franchises and the auctions.