14 April,2010 01:51 PM IST | | Agencies
The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) on Wednesday called for Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor's resignation and said he must step down till his name is cleared of any impropriety in the Indian Premier League's (IPL) Kochi team.
While also asking the government to probe the source of funds flowing into the IPL tournament, the CPI-M said Tharoor's involvement in the Kochi franchise had raised a number of questions.
"It now transpires that a person associated with him has got 19 percent free equity worth Rs 70 crore in the company that led the consortium which got the franchise. The IPL is not just a sporting event but is a big business enterprise in which big money is involved. It is highly inappropriate for a minister in the union government to be involved in such murky dealings," the politburo said in a statement here.
"It is incumbent upon Tharoor to step down from office till his name is cleared of any unethical or irregular behaviour."
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Asking the government to explain whether its ministers can be involved in business dealings in the name of IPL, the CPI-M asked the government to "reconsider whether any tax exemptions or concessions are justified for this commercial enterprise".
