Has Lalit Modi gone underground after the BCCI announced an interrim chairman? Apparently all his phones were switched off or not reachable and there was complete silence on Twitter as well. The Modi camp was completely silent and even close associates of Modi were tight-lipped. Or has a compromise formula been worked out between Shashank Manohar, Lalit Modi and the BCCI?
A few random statements by Shashank Manohar during the press conference that followed the governing council meeting would make one think so. Firstly Manohar said “suspension is not a punishment”. He also said that Lalit Modi will be given a hearing and an opportunity to defend himseld and if he offers a resonable explanation, the probe will be dropped or wound up. In other words it looks like a compromise deal has been worked out between the warring parties, say some BCCI sources and BCCI watchers.
The script goes like this: Lalit Modi is suspended dramatically by the BCCI to show that the Board has taken stern and decisive action. He is show-caused and given time to reply. The so-called enquiry proceeds on paper with each party going through the rituals.. A new commissioner is appointed and life goes on as usual at the BCCI. A few weeks or months later, the media and the general public forget the entire issue as the controversy dies a natural death. No more heads roll. No more skeletons come tumbling out of the BCCI closets. Lalit Modi lies low for a few months and then re-surfaces in a new avatar. Everybody is a winner in this case. For the record, the BCCI says their enquiry didn’t find any incriminating evidence or solid proof against Modi and he is given the benefit of doubt as the heat evaporates and things cool down. Lalit Modi’s explanation is found satisfactory and eventually as the media and investigating agencies lose interest, Modi is let off the hook. In the end its much ado about nothing, with the press having made a mountain of a molehill.
AsiaWire 