The government has begun a probe into the sources and routes of funding for the Indian Premier League, IPL. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee told Lok Sabha that the probe has already been initiated and guilty will not be spared. Making a statement in the House yesterday, he said appropriate action as per law will be taken if any wrongdoing was found in the manner the IPL was funded. The assurance came in response to Opposition parties training their guns on the IPL after the resignation of Shashi Tharoor as Union Minister.
As soon as the House met for the day, the non-UPA members mounted an attack on the IPL, demanding a ban on it and sought a Joint Parliamentary Committee, JPC probe into its source of funds.
Left parties, BJP, RJD, SP, JD(U) and BSP raised the issue in the Lok Sabha and demanded that IPL be taken over by the government. The Left members alleged that the betting and laundering of black money are taking place through IPL.
Later during the Zero Hour, CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta alleged that the game involves laundering of black money and conversion of black money into white. Another party leader Brinda Karat criticised the policy of what she termed inaction by the government.
Meanwhile, the embattled IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi has rubbished allegations of betting and money laundering in the event and threatened to take legal action against the newspaper which has made the accusations.
The BJP has demanded a probe to find out whether black money stashed in foreign banks has been invested in IPL franchisees. Briefing reporters in New Delhi on Monday, Senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde said that government should table the findings of the inquiry report in the current session of Parliament.