BCCI refuses to react to Modi's claims

Indian Cricket Board chief Shashank Manohar on Tuesday rejected Lalit Modi's latest tirade against the BCCI and ridiculed him by saying that the former IPL Commissioner might fascinate the media but not him.

"I don't want to react at all to Mr Modi. Modi seems to fascinate the media. He does not fascinate me," BCCI chief Manohar said.

Modi, on his Twitter page, had alleged that the BCCI forced the International Cricket Council to change its constitution to outlaw the now defunct Indian Cricket League floated by the Essel Group.

In a series of tweets, Modi, who was sacked as IPL Commissioner in April last year, disclosed that the BCCI had wanted ICL to shut shop at any cost and it flexed its muscle to ensure that ICC and the other Cricket Boards fell in line.

"ICC set up a three member committee with me, Giles Clarke President ECB and Norman Arendse President CSA to draft the new constitution. BCCI called every member of ICC to ensure that they all help in changing the ICC constitution to outlaw ICL," Modi wrote on his Twitter page.

"ICC used Bird and Bird a UK-based law firm to ensure Regulations to stop ICL was made consistent Globally," he added.

Asked for his reaction to Sports Minister Ajay Maken's statement in Bangalore on Monday that all National Sports Federations, including the BCCI, will be brought under the proposed National Sports Development Bill, Manohar said the Board is waiting for the draft provisions to be made known.

"We do not know as yet what the provisions of the Bill are. We will wait and see," he said.

Maken had said that under the provisions of the Bill all NSFs, including BCCI, would come under the Right to Information Act.

There are also some reports saying that once the Bill, that is set to be introduced in the Monsoon session of Parliament, becomes a law it would not be possible for BCCI to send a team to any competition calling it the Indian team.

"We will wait and see what the provisions are," Manohar reiterated when his attention was drown to the reports.