Mumbai, June 5 (IANS) Indian cricket board president Shashank Manohar Saturday said that it was Lalit Modi, the suspended Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman, who had invited interim IPL chief Chirayu Amin to join the consortium that made a failed bid for the league's Pune franchise.

Amin also admitted that he was part of the failed bid and said that he was clean.

"I was approached by a group of businessmen to join them in the consortium to bid for the Pune franchise. I agreed to invest up to 10 percent from one of our associate companies," said Amin.

"There was, therefore, total transparency at every step," he said.

Modi had defended Sharad Pawar, former president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), saying he had no direct or indirect involvement in the Pune bid, and alleged that Amin, a board vice president, was part of the consortium that had failed to win the bid.

Reacting to this, Manohar said Modi was trying to tarnish the image of the Board and its members.

Manohar said that it was Modi, who asked the Pune-based company, City Corporation through Ajay Shirke, the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) president, to contact Amin and requested him to be a part of the consortium.

Manohar said: "When the Pune franchisee approached Mr. Amin to join their consortium, he informed them that he might join them by making an investment of upto 10 percent. Mr. Amin had then given me a letter with a copy to the honorary secretary, informing that he has been approached by the prospective Pune franchisee. In his letter he clearly states that should City Corporation Ltd win the bid, he would then formally approach the board for a sanction to invest in the consortium. The letter itself makes it very clear that it was a proposal with a pre-condition attached - that Mr Amin would seek a formal sanction only in case the bid succeeds."

Amin in the letter dated March 17 said: "Please note if they suceed, I will communicate to you for formal sanction of BCCI before investing into the venture."

Manohar pointed out that the board and the Governing Council would have needed to consider Amin's case only if the consortium was successful.

"First and foremost, Amin's letter was not for asking permission to bid. It is clear that the claim of Modi that Amin was a bidder is misleading and is only to malign the image of the Board and it members," Manohar said.