Multiple allegations about Praful email to Tharoor

New Delhi: First, it was tweets that stumped the cricket world, and by association, politicians. Now, it's emails that are causing chaos for politicians, and by extension,  the Indian Premier League (IPL).

On Thursday, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel conceded that a report in The Economic Times was correct. Two days before a consortium backed by then minister Shashi Tharoor made its bid for an IPL team for Kochi, Patel's secretary had emailed a sort of business plan to Tharoor.

What transpired is this. Two days before the Kochi bid, Tharoor called Patel for information on business projections. Patel in turn called the IPL CEO, Sunder Raman, who sent the documents via email to Patel's daughter, Poorna, who works for the IPL. She then forwarded the email to her father's office, from where it was passed on to Tharoor. 

Patel denies that either his daughter or he can be accused of insider trading.  He claims the documents were not classified; a spokesperson for his party, the Nationalist Congress Party, said "on record, we were trying to help (Tharoor to) bring cricket to Kerala."

To most, the documents would suggest the opposite: a conservative business plan that suggests that it will take ten years for a new IPL team to see any profits.

The document projects that gate money or ticket sales rises from 16 crores in 2011 to 20 crores in 2010; licensing revenue increases by 2 crores.  As a result, a consortium, like the one Tharoor was advising, stands to lose 600 crores before it makes its first profit in 2021.

Given that Patel is accused of being predisposed to another group bidding for one of the two new franchises, to many, the real question is: was this email aimed at dissuading  the Kochi consortium associated with Tharoor? 

Patel has denied all allegations, telling NDTV  earlier this week,  "I do not have anything to do with cricket, the BCCI, the IPL or the bidding process of the IPL. "

The Opposition is also unwilling to overlook the fact that Patel's daughter was involved in the email trail.  One of the biggest allegations staring the IPL in the face right now is sweet deals for relatives.

BJP spokesperson Prakash Javedkar said, "As far as the Aviation Minister, Praful Patel is concerned, he has taken the entire ministry in losses...now since when has he become the valuation consultant of IPL, people have been asking because an email comes from the CEO of IPL Sundar Raman Singh ... to Poorna... and then it goes to Chanda Bhardwaj... who is the PS of Minister Praful Patel.. and then the same email goes to Shashi Tharoor..so what exactly is this league...it should be clear..."

Patel's party stresses that a government email account or office was not used; Patel's personal office handled the documents, and that since these were not confidential, Patel's record is blameless.

The tweets by Lalit Modi forced an avalanche onto cricket and politics, knocking over Tharoor first, who was forced to resign from government for inappropriate patronage of the Kochi consortium from his home state.   Modi is likely to take the next fall.  The IPL governing council is determined to meet on Monday and ask for his dismissal as Chairman and Commissioner.  Will politicians become road kill in the government's new and formal drive to clean up cricket? That's what has many political leaders craning their necks. (Read: Praful Patel to NDTV: No link with cricket, IPL)