The tussle between the BCCI and Lalit Modi seems to be getting more personal with every passing day.
After requesting BCCI president, Shashank Manohar, and secretary, N. Srinivasan, from recusing themselves from the decision-making process last week, Modi has again hit back at Srinivasan in his reply to the second-show cause notice.
“It is not the practice of the BCCI to mechanically issue show-cause notices every time an allegation (particularly a motivated one by a person with a known animus) is made against an administrator. If this were to be so, several show-cause notices ought to have been issued against the honorary secretary, despite several serious complaints/allegations having been made against him,” Modi wrote in his 24-page reply, a copy of which is in possession of Hindustan Times, that was submitted by his counsel, Mehmood Abdi, on Tuesday.
After suspending Modi, the BCCI sent him a second show-cause notice on May 6 based on an email by England and Wales Cricket Board chairman, Giles Clarke, who alleged that Modi was trying to create a rift in world cricket.
Modi, however, insisted on Clarke’s grudge against him. “The honorary president and honorary secretary of the BCCI are well aware that Mr Clarke and I have had a past history of disagreement and discord. We have, in the past, have had several ‘run-ins’. I have commented on this below. That Mr Clarke, therefore, had an animus against me, was therefore no secret, particularly to them,” Modi wrote, citing several instances that led to problems between Clarke and him.
{{/usCountry}}Modi, however, insisted on Clarke’s grudge against him. “The honorary president and honorary secretary of the BCCI are well aware that Mr Clarke and I have had a past history of disagreement and discord. We have, in the past, have had several ‘run-ins’. I have commented on this below. That Mr Clarke, therefore, had an animus against me, was therefore no secret, particularly to them,” Modi wrote, citing several instances that led to problems between Clarke and him.
{{/usCountry}}“In this background, I am pained that instead of standing up for me and advising Mr Clarke to desist from making patently irresponsible, unfounded and motivated allegations against me, you have chosen to issue a show-cause notice to me.” While denying the allegations made in the five-page notice, Modi concluded by reiterating his demand for an independent enquiry.