Karnataka legislators demand probe into tax fraud, 'obscene' dance in IPL

They have demanded an investigation against IPL for alleged tax evasion. They have also criticised obscene dances by cheerleaders and the ‘neglect’ of Kannada during the matches held in Bangalore on March 16 and 18.

What really ticked the legislators off was that the IPL’s organisers and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) had issued them cheap Rs49 passes to watch the first match.They called this a “humiliation”.



IPL’s organisers clarified that the passes were meant for VIPs only. But it was priced just Rs49 to save on the tax. The legislators are now accusing the IPL of tax evasion and have demanded an investigation against its organisers and the KSCA.

“The IPL organisers have admitted through their clarification that they have undervalued tickets to evade tax” JD(U)’s leader in legislative council MP Nadagouda said on Wednesday. “They are evading tax on tickets given to the legislators. What will be the magnitude of tax being evaded on tickets sold to others?” BJP member Mukhyamantri Chandru said.

They took serious exception to thestatement reportedly made by the IPL’s organisers that the legislators were making baseless allegations because they faced problems in obtaining the passes. “This amounts to a breach of privilege of legislators and is an insult,” Chandru said. He demanded that the chairman of the legislative council refer the issue to the privileges committee to take appropriate action against the IPL and KSCA authorities. Chandru and Gouda said they had written to the chairman seeking action against them.

They said the IPL was just business and not a sporting event. Liquor was sold during matches, cheerleaders’ dances were obscene, and Kannada was neglected in the stadium, they said. They wanted a detailed probe into all these issues.