Happy over IPL team, Kerala gives controversy a miss

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - It was pure joy when Kerala got its own IPL Kochi team last month, thanks largely to the efforts of dapper union minister and local MP Shashi Tharoor. And even now they would rather bask in the glory of that rather than get caught in the storm between him and IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi.

Minister of State for External Affairs Tharoor and Modi are engaged in a spat over the ownership of Rendezvous Sports World, one of the stakeholders in the consortium that bought the IPL Kochi franchise for Rs.1,530 crore.

Kerala Sports Minister and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader M. Vijayakumar said he was aware of what his party had said in Delhi Wednesday but he himself did not wish to make any statement.

“Yes, we have our own opinion, but sorry we do not wish to say anything on the happenings now,” said Vijayakumar.

Vijayakumar’s statement comes at a time when the CPI-M politburo called for Tharoor’s resignation and said he must step down till his name is cleared of any impropriety in the IPL Kochi team.

One reason why the CPI-M here has taken a cautious approach is understandable because cricket, like elsewhere in India, is a passion in Kerala. Over the years, it has become a much watched game on TV and is a favourite among the old and young alike.

State Congress president Ramesh Chennithala told reporters here Wednesday that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) need not decide on the affairs of the Congress. He was referring to BJP’s demand for Tharoor’s resignation over the row as a close friend of his has a stake in IPL Kochi.

“We have our party high command and they are quite aware of what is happening and there are no issues in the party here over the involvement of Tharoor,” said Chennithala.

Cricket in Kerala over the years has been a low key affair because of poor infrastructure. It got its first boost when Tinu Yohanan became the first Keralite born and brought up in the state to represent the country in Test cricket in 2001. He, however, faded out after just three Tests.

Then it was a long wait until S. Sreesanth broke the shackles. Since 2006 he has been in and out of the Test team, but certainly his arrival sparked new interest in the game.

From the view of the spectators also, watching an international match has been a rarity with Kochi hosting less than half a dozen international one dayers, with the capital city hosting the first ever one day international way back in the mid 80s.

Kurian Thomas, a high school student here and a keen cricket enthusiast, spoke of his admiration for Tharoor and not the controversy.

“I have been fascinated by Tharoor right from the day he filed his nomination to contest from here. He may not be a politician, but I knew he had the stuff. If not for his efforts, I doubt if a regular politician would ever have thought of bringing an IPL team to Kerala,” said Thomas.

Similarly, MBA student Susy Thomas, another cricket fan from Kottayam, said the news that Kerala had got an IPL team was one of the best in recent times.

“Just look into the numerous players who have made a mark in the three editions of IPL. Ranji Trophy matches are being held for several years but does it evoke any interest? Just see the popularity of the IPL.

“You just wait and see, there is immense talent in Kerala. Through the Kerala IPL team, we will see several Sreesanths and Yohanans surfacing. My only wish is that controversies should not spoil our chances,” she said.

The state secretariat here witnessed two protests, one by the Youth Congress that burnt Lalit Modi in effigy for attacking Tharoor, and another by BJP youth activists who burned Tharoor in effigy asking him to come clean on the ownership issue of the Kochi IPL team.