Pawar downplays phone tapping issue

Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar today downplayed the alleged phone tapping issue and said neither he nor his party would seek any details from the government. The National Congress Party (NCP) supremo said he was sure the government would do the needful. “I will not comment just because some magazine has reported it,” he told Business Standard.

Pawar’s benign approach to the Congress is significant at a time when he and his Cabinet colleague, Praful Patel, have been under attack from all parties, except the Congress, for their role in the Indian Premier League (IPL) controversy.

Pawar, who left for Konkan to address NCP rallies in Ratnagiri and Mahad today, said he would not watch the IPL finals tomorrow, as his schedule was fixed well in advance. He said the NCP had nothing to do with the IPL. “Why should we be scared of any inquiry? We have nothing to hide anyway.”

Pawar said in his capacity as the BCCI president, he had worked for the development of cricket in India. Pawar said Poorna Patel (Praful Patel’s daughter) has not communicated any confidential information of IPL as alleged by some quarters.

On reports that Patel’s daughter, who works for IPL, diverted a scheduled Air India flight to ferry her and some IPL players, Pawar said Air India had already clarified its position.