Videocon boss dodges queries on IPL bid

Videocon Chairman Venugopal Dhoot on Wednesday avoided questions asking formissing documents related to his company’s Indian Premier League bid here.

Replying to one such query, after attending a seminar on Energy Options for Telecom Sector, Dhoot said: "I don't know. I woke up and came to attend this seminar. I have not read today's newspaper... I don''t know even if it is two days old story, I was out of country for last two days, so I am not aware of them."

A media report had suggested that Dhoot was in possession of the document and is ready to provide it to authorities, if asked.

But Dhoot refused to comment on that as well.

Meanwhile, during another raid in Mumbai city, income tax (IT) sleuths digging into IPL papers have failed to locate two vital documents -- the bid papers of the Videocon and Adani Groups, whose failure to win teams for Pune and Ahmedabad is said to be at the root of the IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi – former Union Minister of State for External Affairs Minister Shashi Tharoor row.

Sleuths of IT department have said the absence of the documents could leave a crucial hole in the probe.

The missing files could settle one way or the other the widespread perception that the first round of bidding on March 7 in Mumbai for the two new IPL teams was tweaked to favour Dhoot and Adani.

These documents are also an important ''missing link'' in the controversy surrounding the IPL that has so far cost the Central Government its minister.

Ahead of his resignation, Tharoor had said that many "powerful people" were upset at the Kochi team''s unexpected victory in the IPL auction.

Modi's tweets questioning the ownership of the Kochi consortium was under pressure from these "powerful people" who wanted the team to go elsewhere, Tharoor had suggested.

The recovery of the original bid documents should settle the controversy about those who were behind these losing bids.