Kolkata, May 30 (IANS): The CPI-M Wednesday asked why the West Bengal government gave a rousing reception to a private corporate team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) after it won the IPL.
The party also criticised the alleged financial discrepancies that has marred the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
"Lakhs of rupees have been spent by the state government to felicitate KKR," said an editorial in the CPI-M mouthpiece Ganashakti.
"The Trinamool Congress has carried out a political campaign in the name of felicitation. Team owner Shah Rukh Khan received more limelight than the players," it said.
"Is the victory of KKR in true sense an achievement for Bengal? Does genuine cricket have a place in IPL?
"IPL is full of scandals. In 2009, IPL was taken away to South Africa by Lalit Modi. Most matches in South Africa were (allegedly) fixed. At that time without the permission of the RBI (Reserve Bank of India), there were monetary transactions of Rs.243 crore," it said.
The paper said both IPL and BCCI had been served 190 notices by the Enforcement Directorate and the BCCI was yet to pay Rs.1,077 crore as income tax to the government.
"Shashi Tharoor lost his ministry because of financial discrepancies in IPL. The financial irregularities of Lalit Modi have already come out in the open. Then the question is why (did) the state government give recognition to such a tournament which is marred by controversies?"
Kolkata virtually came to a standstill Tuesday to watch KKR's victory parade culminating in a gala felicitation.