Home Minister hits back at BCCI on IPL

The Centre on Monday dismissed as "unwarranted" the remarks of BCCI president Shashank Manohar, who had held the government attitude responsible for moving the Indian Premier League out of the country.

"I have read a number of statements of the IPL decision which obliquely criticise the central government. These statements require an answer. Some unwarranted comments also deserve a re-joinder," Union Home Minister P Chidambaram said in New Delhi.

Manohar, after the BCCI working committee on Sunday, had said that they were forced to take the tournament out of the country because of the government's attitude.

"If he [Manohar] was referring to the central government. The remark is entirely unwarranted. It is contrary to the letter of March 4, 2009, wherein N Srinivasan, Secretary BCCI, said 'we shall not ask for central para-military forces to provide security for matches'," Chidambaram said.

"If Shree Manohar was referring to the state government alone I would like to remind them ..the state governments are ultimately responsible for maintaining the law and order and providing security and one has to respect the judgment made by the state governments in this behalf," Chidambaram said.

With IPL involving huge money, Chidambaram said, "It appears that IPL is more than a game. It is shrewd combination of sport and business. There is no reason to add politics to this combination," he said.

Chidambaram maintained that India is safe for cricket and the only question was scheduling of the matches.

"I have repeatedly said that cricket -- or any other game -- when played in India is completely safe and all players will be provided full security. The question is when should the IPL matches be played."

Chidambaram said the Home Ministry had asked the hosts states for their views on the revised schedule but only three states and one Union Territory -- Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Punjab and Chandigarh -- responded.

Taking on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who had described the shifting of the IPL out of India as a "national shame", the Home Minister said that most people in India thought that the Gujarat communal riots of 2002 were a national shame.

To another BJP leader Arjun Jaitley's comments that the decision will send a negative message to the world and that the Congress-ruled states have been non-cooperative towards holding of IPL in India, Chidambaram said, "I know that Mr Jaitley has a penchant for exaggeration, but because he also wears the cap of the president of the DDCA he seems to have gone overboard this time."