Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Murky IPL

Only during the third edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) did the government wake up to probe the financial irregularities and that too because of the spark triggered by Lalit Modi on Kochi franchise. Why was the government silent for the first two years? Shouldn't there be a process to proactively audit such major events on a periodic basis?

Suresh Kumar A.,

Chennai

The controversial sweat equity and the related IPL controversy is only a tip of the iceberg and much more is expected in the days to come. Till such time the investigation is over, the government should contemplate banning the IPL and a provisional attachment of assets created by the IPL body.

E. Krishnan,

Palakkad

But the Tharoor saga vis-à-vis IPL has raised some uncomfortable questions. It makes one wonder why a man who once contested for the top job in the U.N. would conduct himself this way.

Sutirtha Sahariah,

Scotland

For the Congress and the government that had to grin and bear and put up a brave face every time there was a Tharoor-inspired controversy, the IPL episode was the proverbial last straw. Mr. Modi and Mr. Tharoor hopefully would have by now realised the hazards of tweeting with abandon. While the resignation of Mr. Tharoor and the impending ouster of Mr. Modi will restore a little credibility to the IPL, the likely choice of Sharad Pawar to replace Mr. Modi as the head of the IPL may not be a sensible option.

R.G. Subbramanyam,

Vellore

Your Editorial (Apr. 20) is on target when it says “…the rot goes beyond Mr. Tharoor and Ms Pushkar to the very core of IPL.” The IPL is a colossal blunder and should have been banned long ago. With millions of dollars at stake, no wonder the beautiful game of cricket has become tainted with rampant corruption.

G. Gururaj,

Chennai

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh deserves praise for quickly deciding to ask Mr. Tharoor to step down, thus avoiding an embarrassing situation for himself and the Congress. Mr. Tharoor should have resigned on his own and it is unfortunate that the first-time Minister could not complete his term in office because he did not behave commensurate with his official position. It should serve as a warning to those who talk and act without restraint.

A. Jainulabdeen,

Chennai

For the common man Indian cricket is a religion, while for politicians and rich businessmen it is a method to make money. Like religion, cricket is also getting exploited. The Tharoor and Modi episodes have shown a small part of the reality of the IPL. When players are being sold and bidding is done for having the best players in a team, credibility is thrown out of the window. One wonders how an Indian can enjoy the business of cricket where players are not playing for the nation but for money. While the common man has adopted the “who cares” attitude, politicians go about their business of money making.

Neha Paul,

Patiala

Perhaps The Hindu is the only newspaper that has reported the views of V.S. Acharya, Home Minister of Karnataka, on the blasts outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium, in a reasonably objective manner. His views cannot be ridiculed. Policing is no child's play. Even a cursory look at the bits of information that have emanated recently on the IPL scandals will reveal that there could be a nexus between the betting world and the perpetrators of this crime in Bangalore. One hopes that the government probes the affairs of the IPL in depth and cleanses the biggest money spinning Indian sport called cricket.

N.S. Chakravarthy,

Mysore

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