Kolkata, April 20: After having faced flak for his alleged links with the Kochi franchise of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Congress MP from Kerala Shashi Tharoor now just wants to stay away from the cash-rich cricketing event.
Asked for his views on Wednesday’s game between Kochi Tuskers Kerala (KTK) and Kolkata Knight Riders(KKR), the media savvy diplomat-turned politician quipped: “I want to keep myself clear of the IPL after what it did to me.”
However, he added that as an MP from Kerala he would love to see KTK win, “though I have lots of old loyalties with Kolkata. We (KTK) have already beaten Mumbai (Indians) and Chennai (Super Kings), so why not Kolkata (KKR)”.
Tharoor was forced to quit as minister of state for external affairs after allegations that he had misused his official position to help his then friend (and now wife) Sunanda Pushkar get sweat equity worth Rs.70 crore in the IPL Kochi franchise.
Pushkar later gave up her stake in the franchise.
–Agencies