Raj Thackeray blames Sharad Pawar for IPL mess

Wading into the ongoing IPL controversy, MNS chief Raj Thackeray today squarely blamed Union Minister and former BCCI chief Sharad Pawar for the mess in the Twenty20 league.

"Pawar has helmed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the parent body of IPL for years. How come now he says that he is no way connected to the Indian Premier League," Raj told reporters here today.

"If Pawar has nothing to do with IPL, then on whose directions the entertainment tax on T20 matches has been waived off in Maharashtra, where his party is in power with Congress," Raj Thackeray asked.

He has brought a bad name to the game of cricket, he said.

Also, did Pawar not ever know that the IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi, accused of financial anomalies, proxy investment and nepotism in IPL was involved in drug trafficking, Raj said.

However, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief said that banning IPL is no solution to the current problem.

"Several budding cricketers get a chance to play in Twenty20. Banning it would serve no purpose. Corruption is prevalent in politics, elections and Bollywood. It does not mean that one seeks a ban on politics," he said adding fame and money always begets corruption.

The Centre should ensure a thorough probe into the IPL mess and cleanse it completely to get rid of bad elements, he added.

Raj Thackeray also said that the government should not forget that a lot of power is being consumed for day and night IPL matches when several parts of Maharashtra are facing load-shedding.