Rediff.com« Back to articlePrint this article

Modi maintains he is still IPL chairman

April 26, 2010 20:19 IST

A combative Lalit Modi on Monday sought to put up a brave face after being suspended as chairman of the Indian Premier League, maintaining he is still the boss of the Twenty20 league and merely relieved of his post for the time being.

In what appeared to be a veiled threat, Modi broke his silence since his late night suspension with yet another tweet that has been his mode of communication of late.

"Thank you all for your message of support. It is really appreciated. I am still chairman of IPL. Just suspended. Wait -- we have just begun," Modi said on his Twitter page.

Modi did not elaborate by what he meant by "wait – we have just begun", but it is being widely interpreted as a threat to expose his detractors.

In one of his earlier tweets, he had threatened to expose all the people who have tried to bring the game into disrepute.

The beleaguered Modi also sought to give the impression that he is unperturbed by the rapid developments over the last few days which culminated with his suspension barely minutes after the presentation ceremony in the IPL final.

"Had a restful day. Been in the spa all day. Much needed rest," he tweeted.

His latest posts came on a day when the BCCI president Shashank Manohar charged him with serious financial irregularities in the bid documents of Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab and rigging the IPL bids of the two new franchises -- Pune and Kochi.

The other charges included irregularities in the broadcast and internet deals and his behavioral patterns for which he has been given 15 days to respond.