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Probe Anurag's ties: Congress

Last Updated 27 April 2015, 20:24 IST

The Congress on Monday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to order an independent probe into reports of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary and BJP leader Anurag Thakur socialising with bookies.

“I hope the Prime Minister will order an enquiry into it and tell Parliament and the nation what is the relationship of Thakur with bookies. Whether, they have any business interest,” Congress spokesperson Sushmita Dev said at a press conference, expressing concern over the reports about the BJP leader socialising with bookies.

Thakur ran into a controversy after photos of him socialising with Karan Gilhotra emerged in the media. Gilhotra figured at the top of the latest database of ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit, that appeared in media on Sunday. 

ICC CEO Dave Richardson sent a mail to BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya, notifying him about the BJP MP's association with Gilhotra.

“India’s biggest betting-cum-hawala racket running into over Rs 4,000 crore was recently unearthed on March 20 with clear linkages to BJP leaders and police machinery in Gujarat along with thread of illegal betting, hawala and international money laundering reaching at the door steps of higher echelons of political and administrative executive,” Dev charged. 

“Successive exposure of hawala rackets in Gujarat with complete inaction against the guilty raises serious questions about protection and encouragement to such hawala rackets by the Government,” she added.

With the publication of Thakur’s picture with Gilhotra  and ICC’s letter to the BCCI, the Congress leader said it was now “abundantly clear” that the links between betting rackets and leaders in the BJP was “all pervasive”.

“It is clear now why leaders in the BJP are opposed to the idea of bringing BCCI under RTI. They are hand in gloves with bookies and hawala racketeers and sharing the loot. The Congress party demands a probe into the link between Thakur, BCCI and the bookies, by an independent agency,” she added.

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(Published 27 April 2015, 20:24 IST)

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