'IPL governing council must accept responsibility for the mess'

Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi feels the Indian Premier League's governing council must accept responsibility for the ongoing controversy surrounding the Twenty20 league.

He is also of the view that if Lalit Modi stays away from the April 26 governing council meeting, he will be ousted as IPL commissioner.

The former India cricket captain and member of the IPL's governing board spoke out exclusively to CNN-IBN's Karan Thapar on Modi's role in the IPL mess.

The bidding in March for the two new teams of the IPL, do you, as a member of the Governing Council, believe it was done properly, or do you think it should have been more transparent and there should have been clearer rules that weren't changed midway?

Here, Karan, I have signed a confidentiality clause. I can't discuss what happened at a particular meeting or any particular correspondence that took place between the IPL and me; I will have to take a sort of holiday on that, though everyone else seems to be tweeting away and informing the press what's happening. I don't want to be in that position, at least till after the Governing Council meeting. 

I understand, but let me put it like this: given the nature of questions that have been raised , should the IPL have scrutinised the shareholding of the successful bidders, cos today people are saying there are proxies for politicians, for cricketers, even for armed dealers..

Yes, I think. I am not sure if IPL itself is capable of going into depths of scrutiny if the money is come from somewhere. It has to be done by some kind of agency of the government; IPL is not capable of doing that, but the point is that the IPL was doing so well. People said, 'bhai theek hai -- everything is okay, let it carry on".

So this is wisdom with hindsight?

Yes, I think so.

But, nonetheless, with hindsight there should have been a way found to scrutinise shareholding?

Yes, well, yes, I can't disagree with you. I think there was a lapse. Now, with retrospect, we should have taken it more strictly.

And now again also, should the IPL have also questioned where the money was coming from? Because there are allegations that you must have seen that this is money laundering via the Cayman or Virgin islands or Bahamas. Again, should scrutiny have been paid to the source of funds?

I think the scrutiny is being done now; this is only two years old, and the fact that the scrutiny has already started within two years I think goes a long way in saying that perhaps we have improved in wanting to get things get quicker.

Beyond the manner in which the bidding happened and the need for scrutiny which didn't happen of the stake holders and where the money has come from, there are also allegations in the press about deals that the IPL, contracts that the IPL, signed with WSG & IMG,  and its said the facilitation fee of 80 million to WSG is in fact a way of routing money back into some IPL pockets…

I can't answer this question because you are asking something which is beyond my brief, I don't know

But would you like this enquired into?

Yes, of course. We would like everything to be enquired into. We want to know where this money came from , how it came, who it belongs to, who got help, who helped, who didn't help. Everything has to come out, you just can't leave part of it. Now you started the procedure, please complete it completely, so that at least people get some confidence back in you.

BCCI is a fairly conservative body and it doesn't like being upset by people who have just joined, which Lalit has. But I don't think anybody in the BCCI is taking the credit away from what he has done, which I think is huge.

It's just that he has grabbed so much attention and credit for himself that he has rubbed people up the wrong way.

I think that is just about the right way of putting it.

There is of course another aspect of Lalit Modi. It's now known that members of his family are owners of IPL teams, others are digital right holders. Is this something that needs to be inquired into or are these suspicions unwarranted and unfair.

Well, you see, let's put it this way: there are certain issues which were settled even before the first IPL met, the governing council met. And that was that the board gave permission for a BCCI office-bearer to own a team. If a BCCI office-bearer can own a team then, I think, why can't Mr Modi's relations also. Question is: did he ask permission of the BCCI. That I don't know!.

Should he have?

I think in these matters he should ask BCCI.

Simply to ensure everything was above board?

Yes.

So, if he didn't, it was at least a lapse on his part…

Yes. Definitely.

Given everything that has been revealed about Lalit Modi, given the concerns that some people in the BCCI of his manner and his flamboyance, do you yourself personally still have faith and confidence in him?

I was in his position at this stage, I think, I would have, there is a meeting on the 26th, I would certainly attend that meeting and I would try and answer questions. And if I didn't have an answer, I would ask for time and if there was feeling which I got that people were apprehensive I would say, ok, I will step down till the whole thing is sorted out.

You are also saying that the line he is taking that only he as chairman can call the meeting and that N Srinivasan as secretary can't, and that is a wrong line Modi is taking?

Absolutely.

So he should go for the meeting and then ask for time?

If I was him I would do it.

You are also saying that if there are serious questions, and clearly there are, then  perhaps in the best interest of the IPL and cricket as a whole he should step aside?

Yes. I think so, and let these allegations and accusations, let them come to some kind of conclusion and let's see, because he's kept on saying over the years or not years, at least for the last few weeks, that he's done nothing wrong. So, fine, if he has done nothing wrong then let them take it out.

What about the governing body of the IPL? What sort of responsibilities must they bear for all that's happened?

I think, yes, you can't escape it. We also got a bit carried away with all the nice things that seem to be happening and, perhaps, we were not quite questioning as we should have been.

To what extent then does the IPL board itself need to step aside?

This is a very fair question. I think the IPL needs to actually introspect also where it has gone, and with the IPL I mean the governing council has to introspect to see where it has gone wrong.

And could that introspection lead to the whole governing council deciding that we all accept responsibility and that we all resign and begin with a clean slate hereafter?

I will be surprised.

You will surprised?

Yes.

You think there is a need for that?

No, I don't think so. I don't think this thing has been going on long enough.