Lalit Modi Interview by Rajdeep Sardesai @ June 2015

In his first-ever exclusive interview after the Sushma Swaraj controversy broke out, former IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi spoke to India Today’s Consulting Editor, Rajdeep Sardesai and spilled the beans. The interview suggest that he had good clout in Indi’s political circle and friends in all political parties.

Here are the Excerpts from the Interview:

1. Rupert Murdoch behind ‘Sunday Times’ leak about Sushma Swaraj. Murdoch was upset that BCCI has scrapped the Champions League T20 this year. There is no exit clause in Star’s deal with BCCI and Star Group will lose a lot.

2. Swarajs have been my family friends for more than two decades. Swaraj Kaushal has been my lawyer and appeared pro bono (without a fee) for me.

3. Vasundhara Raje gave written statement in my support in 2011. The documents were not signed, as they were not submitted. She also travelled all the way to Portugal during my wife’s cancer surgery in 2012 and 2013, when she was not the CM. Raje has been my friend for the last 30 years.

4. I challenge ED to prove the charges against me. They can’t do it. That’s why they have been silent for 5 years.

5. The entire UPA government hounded me. They tried their best to frame me and delay in getting my passport restored. UPA Government was in collusion with then UK Government to delay my residency process. The UK Government was asked to pay the damages to me.

6. The political vendetta was launched against me by P Chidambaram, Shashi Tharoor. Chidambaram even tried to get me deported.

7. Although I was not present physically, I appeared in cases through my lawyers and written affidavits. It’s wrong to say that I stayed away from the law. The Delhi HC clearly said that my passport should not have been revoked in the first place. I am not a fugitive.

8. The reports of a meeting between me and Sushma at the London hotel, are completely baseless and wrong. I just attended the convention of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in October 2014, which was not only attended by Sushma, but hundreds of Indians and Overseas Indians too.

9. I chose Portugal for my wife’s liver cancer treatment, as the research institute there had the best facilities and expertise in the world to cure the disease. We celebrated my wife’s miraculous recovery three days after surgery.

10. Sharad Pawar, Praful Patel helped me to get travel papers. Rajiv Shukla was helping me to get UK residency.

11. I can’t comment on Arun Jaitley’s involvement in this entire episode.

12. I am not returning to India because of security concerns and threats from D Company. The threats were confirmed by Mumbai Police and Indian Intelligence agencies.

13. All decisions related to BCCI and IPL were taken jointly. It’s unfair to single me out. Neither BCCI nor IPL was my personal property. The investigation must include everyone. Why I am being hounded?