IPL's a money laundering front, ban it: Oppn to govt

After forcing the exit of Shashi Tharoor from the ministry, non-UPA members on Monday mounted an attack on IPL, demanding its ban and sought a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into its source of funds.

Left parties, Bharatiya Janata Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Samajwadi Party, Janata Dal-United and the Bahujan Samaj Party raised the issue in the Lok Sabha and demanded that IPL be taken over by the government.

The Left members alleged betting and laundering of black money through IPL.

As soon as the House met for the day, Lalu Prasad (RJD), Mulayam Singh Yadav (SP) and Sharad Yadav (JD-U) were on their feet demanding that government ban the IPL, which according to them has become a "betting and gambling ring".

Amid calls from Speaker Meira Kumar to allow the Question Hour, Sharad Yadav, said, "The moot question is the IPL and not Tharoor."

Prasad wanted the government to take over the IPL and the BCCI. He alleged that IPL tournament involved black money.

Later in the Zero Hour, CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta raised the issue. He said he welcomed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's step of taking resignation of Tharoor but the main issue related to IPL.

Alleging that the game involves 'laundering of black money' and 'white-washing of black money', he said it was an 'aberration' taking place "under the nose of Finance Ministry".

He criticised this form of 20-20 game, saying it was a "caricature" of cricket which was sending a wrong message to budding cricketers that they turn to it to earn money.     

"Players are bought like vegetables. Betting is taking place openly. It is not cricket but organised gamble," Dasgupta alleged, adding that it involved huge amounts of money in a country, which is poor in resources and has so many jobless people.

He said there were reports that large amount of money for IPL was coming from Mauritius and 'dubious sources' in Dubai and that black money in Swiss banks was being laundered into white money through this form of cricket.

"Politicians play cricket in bedrooms, corporates play in boardrooms," the CPI leader said.

He demanded that IPL should be banned and JPC probe ordered to find out where the money is coming from.