Wed Nov 27 21:03:07 UTC 2024: ## Lalit Modi Accuses Shashi Tharoor of Extortion in Kochi Tuskers Deal
**NEW DELHI** – Former IPL chairman Lalit Modi has leveled serious allegations against Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, claiming Tharoor threatened him to include Sunanda Pushkar, Tharoor’s then-wife, as a Kochi Tuskers owner. In a podcast interview with Raj Shamani, Modi alleged that Tharoor coerced him into signing documents granting Pushkar a significant stake in the team, claiming he received threatening phone calls from 10 Janpath, the residence of Sonia Gandhi.
Modi alleges that Tharoor’s actions were part of a larger pattern of coercion and corruption within the Congress leadership during the early years of the IPL. He stated that Pushkar received 25% ownership in the Kochi Tuskers, valued at $50 million, along with 15% of the team’s revenue, despite Modi’s initial objections. He further claims that despite his opposition, then-BCCI president Shashank Manohar pressured him to accept the deal.
Modi claims that the Congress leadership, including the Gandhi family, was involved in this alleged act of corruption, which took place when the party was in power at the Centre. The Kochi Tuskers, purchased for $348 million, played only one IPL season (2011) before being expelled by the BCCI for failing to provide the required annual bank guarantee.
Modi’s accusations come after he was suspended from the BCCI in 2010 and later banned for life in 2013 for financial irregularities and breaches of conduct. Tharoor has yet to respond to these allegations.
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