By IANS,
New Delhi: Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor Wednesday said if he had wanted to be “devious and corrupt” in investing in an Indian Premier League (IPL) team, then he would not have done it through a close friend.
“If I want to be devious and corrupt, I will not do it through somebody I am so openly close to,” said Tharoor in an interview to NDTV.
He was reacting to allegations that his close friend, Sunanda Pushkar, got shares in a company that has stake in the IPL Kochi franchise.
The IPL commissioner, Lalit Modi said there was no clarity over the ownership of the franchise and that Tharoor had asked him not to reveal the shareholding pattern.
Tharoor dismissed allegations that Pushkar was holding that amount in his behalf.
“It is ridiculous to say that Sunanda is my proxy. Insulting to say an attractive woman can’t be successful,” he said.
Noting that there had been perpetual media spotlight on him since he became minister, Tharoor observed: “I am discovering that I did not know about being in the public gaze. And let me tell you that it has not been pleasant.”