NEW DELHI: A day after Indian Premier League organisers decided to take the tournament out of India; home minister P Chidambaram on Monday said BCCI remarks regarding security issue for IPL are unwarranted.
IPL is a shrewd combination of cricket and business. There is no need to add politics into it, Chidambaram said.
Chidambaram assured cricket in India is totally safe.
In his statement he said, "As of today only three states and one union territory -- Andhar Pradesh, Karnataka, Punjab and Chandigarh, have given their comment in writing.
Coming down heavily on Gujarat chief minister Narender Modi, the home minister said his (Modi's) statement was most provocative. He said that the Gujarat riots are a national shame, not IPL being moved out.
The Gujarat chief minister on Sunday blamed central govt for IPL's decision of moving out of the country. "Reputation of India as a safe country in the world has been shattered today by the attitude adopted by the central government on the security issues of IPL," Modi had said in a statement.
"It has sent a direct signal that Indian government is bogged down by the terrorists' threats. It will also send the message that India is an unsafe country," he had said.
P Chidambaram also criticised BJP leader and Delhi District Cricket Association president Arun Jaitley and said he has gone overboard with his comments.
Jaitley on Sunday had said that "the decision will send a negative message to the world that India is unable even to hold a domestic sporting event. What message will it send to the participants of the Commonwealth Games scheduled next year."
The BCCI had accused the government for pushing them to take decision of shifting the IPL out of the country. President of the BCCI, Shashank Manohar, blamed the governments of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh for the IPL being moved out of India.
"Because of the attitude of the government that they are not ready to spare security forces for the cricket tournament, we are forced to take the decision to move the event out of India," BCCI president Shashank Manohar had told a press conference. "I apologise to the people of India for moving the tournament out," Manohar added.
Faced with the prospect of having to hold a truncated tournament in May, the BCCI announced - after an emergency meeting in Mumbai on Sunday - that the league will now be held in England or South Africa.
The tournament will begin on April 10 and conclude on May 24, as scheduled earlier. Sources told TOI England was the first choice. With England Cricket Board CEO Giles Clarke saying ECB was willing to host IPL, "it's 99.99% England," a top BCCI official said.
Apart from ensuring that Indian fans would still be able to watch the event on primetime TV, England would also offer the advantage of the sizeable Indian diaspora providing a readymade audience at the stadiums. Besides, it would provide perfect practice for the T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held in England in June.
Sources blamed the anti-Pawar lobby within Congress for forcing the IPL impasse. They said Pawar tried to meet PM Manmohan Singh but in vain. Observers saw it as a move to cut Pawar to size due to the souring of Congress-NCP relations prior to elections.
Soruce:http://ipl.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4304542.cms
