Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule has repeatedly denied that her husband Sadanand Sule or anyone from her family had financially benefited owning shares in the the company that owns telecast rights to the IPL.
When asked whether her husband Sadanand Sule had a 10 per cent stake in Multi Screen Media or earlier in Sony Entertainment, Sule said that this investment was not ‘news and the allegations were baseless’.
“The shares have belonged to my father-in-law B R Sule since 1992; he was chairman of Sony at one time,” said Sule. The shares were handed down to Sadanand when his father, now 84, fell sick. Sule reiterated the fact that the family had held the investment long before the IPL was born. “My husband has no links with IPL other than watching the tournament,” she said.
The telecast deal with MSM is now being investigated by I-T officials because it allegedly involved a 80 million dollar ‘facilitation fee’, or commission.
Sule said she was upset with the media allegations. “Five days ago, the media was alleging that my husband has proxy stake in franchises, now the story is that he has benefited from telecasting rights given to Sony.”
{{/usCountry}}Sule said she was upset with the media allegations. “Five days ago, the media was alleging that my husband has proxy stake in franchises, now the story is that he has benefited from telecasting rights given to Sony.”
{{/usCountry}}She also defended Poorna Patel, daughter of Civil Aviation minister Praful Patel, saying there was no need to drag the 24-year-old into the controversy.
“My father, Praful bhai (Patel) and I, are public figures; we are answerable to the public; but why drag our families into it? All these allegations are baseless.”