Lalit Modi still seems to have clout in Vasundhara Raje govt

Despite embarrassing the BJP with his disclosures about help received from external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje, Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) president, and former IPL commissioner, Lalit Modi still seems to be enjoying considerable clout in the Rajasthan government.

Two days ago, his son Ruchir Modi was elected president of the Alwar District Cricket Association (ADCA), something that was kept under secret for three weeks.

While state sports minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar said that he had no idea about the election results, many are refusing to buy that argument as the sports secretary and the sports minister get regular reports from districts sports officers. It is unlikely that the district sports officer who had signed the election result copy did not inform his superiors or signed without their permission.

It was no ordinary election; Ruchir Modi is Lalit Modi’s son who is sought by law agencies and created political storm by revealing how he was helped by union minister Sushma Swaraj in getting out of UK and by Vasundhara Raje who allegedly supported his bid for UK citizenship.

Eyebrows were raised in December 2015, when Mr Modi’s rival in the RCA, Amin Pathan, withdrew the no-confidence motion he had moved against Mr Modi, allowing the controversial former IPL boss to head the state cricket body again. Mr Pathan is not only member of the BJP, but is also considered a Raje loyalist, who is unlikely to have taken such a step without taking the chief minister into confidence.

Another indication of the BJP government’s soft corner for Mr Modi came when the state government seeked the BCCI’s approval to host the IPL matches shifted from Mumbai on a high court order. Although the matches were not played in Jaipur, the way the Rajasthan government made feverish efforts to get the matches despite being fully aware that it would need the support of Lalit Modi-led RCA, which was suspended by the BCCI, says a lot about Mr Modi’s equations with the Raje government.

On the face of it, the Rajasthan state sports council was to make all arrangements as the BCCI had insisted that the RCA should not be involved. However, behind the scenes, the RCA was calling the shots. Although the BCCI finally shifted the matches to Vishakhapatnam, Mr Modi still seems to be as powerful as ever.