On Monday he posted a trove of documents, running into thousands of pages, on his website, including the full texts of his replies to all the 16 show-cause notices he said he had received. These documents appear to support his contention that the charges levelled against him by the Enforcement Directorate were the responsibility of top officials of the Board of Cricket Control in India – mainly then board secretary N Srinivasan and treasurer M P Pandove – for the charges that relate to financial transactions conducted by the cricket board when Modi was Indian Premium League Commissioner from 2008-2010.
The fresh series of documents comes after the former IPL Commissioner had gone back to his favourite battlefield – Twitter – and launched a series of salvoes aimed at prominent personalities from the fields of cricket, politics and media.
It was war, he said on Sunday.
It's a war. Battle at a time. I said it is a
long war. Let's play it. Don't expect me to dump and no can digest. https://t.co/qOEl75Cbpi
— Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) June
21, 2015
He seemed to have realised that pressure was building up on the Narendra Modi government to at least be seen to be taking some action against him.
Even, perhaps, steps to revoke his passport.
Particularly, as the government seemed to have decided to brazen out the headline-grabbing revelations about External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj helping him procure travel documents and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhra Raje seeking to help with his immigration status in the UK. Both at a time when his passport had been impounded by the government and he was described as a "fugitive" from the law.
But Lalit Modi doesn't like being called a "fugitive" and, as is threatening to sue people for calling him that. He has a Twitter bio that says he is "cleaning up cricket mafia".
All those who keep #referring
to me as #fugitive
I will sue you all one by one. Call me that if there is even one proof
or get ready to pay
— Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) June
21, 2015
The message is simple: He will go down with all guns blazing, with no prisoners taken.
Let me remind everyone what I said. In #time of #war there are no
#winners.
Lots of #collateral
#damage and
I said one thing every one loses
— Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) June
21, 2015
I did not start this war. But I am master at
the art of war. So now don't blame me for collateral damage. That's
just what war does.
— Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) June
21, 2015
No negotiations. They must surrender or raise
the white flag. War is on. Ready to lose a few battles. But war https://t.co/C9SgIB533W
— Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) June
21, 2015
The decision seemed to be a calculated move to warn all his detractors o stay away from pursuing any charges against him, lest he reveals more damaging information.
He went so far as to spell it out on Instagram:
Let me Remind one and ALL including NEAR AND DEAR - I live by one and only one #MANTRA - as this picture. So be very careful what you do. I didn't start this - whoever did - watch out for collateral damage. In time of #war bad things happen - unfortunate but truth. No one should continue to sit quietly and not expect me to react. Some may call it blackmail. I call it let the Truth Prevail
Which is why it was no surprise that his main target was none other than Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, for the two go back a long way.
And, as it happens, it is eventually he who controls the enforcement directorate that is responsible for appealing against the restoration of Modi's passport.
Congress and Bjp but at heart congress man @arunjaitley only is my
target https://t.co/C3PTvkAWBW
— Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) June
21, 2015
The man in the middle
There had been loud speculation about the finance minister's role in the charges and counter charges traded earlier, as both Raje and Swaraj were seen to be, to use Modi's own phrase, "collateral damage", in the high-stakes dirty battle for the control of the cash-rich BCCI.
Like many other prominent politicians, Jaitley has been involved with cricket administration and was also part of the special enquiry panel, appointed by the BCCI to conduct an enquiry into the 11 charges against Modi. Back then in 2010, Modi had approached the Supreme Court seeking the removal of Jaitley from this panel, and it was the noted lawyer Ram Jethmalani who represented Modi.
The panel had held Modi guilty on eight counts, following which a special general meeting of the BCCI expelled him for life from the country's premier cricketing body on September 25, 2013. Modi was earlier suspended by the BCCI on April 26, 2010, following various allegations of misconduct.
Jethmalani, who has never made any secret of his dislike for Jaitley, and had already announced war against Jaitley; after his public "breakup with the prime minister" and with Lalit Modi joining the battle, observers are already taking out the pop-corn and getting ready for a show.
And what a show it promises to be, going by the trailer he provided on Sunday. We examine some of the people he targeted.
Arun Jaitley and N. Srinivasan
Modi accused Jaitley of covering up for N. Srinivasan, the controversial former BCCI president, who happened to the secretary of the cricketing body when Modi was IPL chief. Modi has always maintained that Srinivisan was responsible for the decisions he has been held guilty of taking. By Monday, the charges had become even more direct:
Mr @arunjaitley whilst you were leader of the opposition did u meet Mr Lalit Modi alone in #london for hours at the #stjamescourt taj hotel
— Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) June 22, 2015
Facts will show that all decisions were made by
treasury run by Srini on advise of legal counsel ARUN… https://t.co/GIaMKxowC1
— Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) June
22, 2015
1/4 you will see that when we unearth the
documents from the data base - thou I have never been convicted by any
agency anywhere - or court
— Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) June
21, 2015
2/4 thou the whole country media , courts, CBI,
have found #srini
#guilty -
but @arunjaitley stuck
by his oldest friend - and why not after
— Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) June
21, 2015
3/4 they were part of the same family for
decades. http://t.co/DeG5gFJiPq
he had a MORAL DUTY TO SAVE #SRINI
— Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) June
21, 2015
4/4 @arunjaitley should
voluntarily disclose ALL his phone #records to #media - it will
show interesting #pattern of
calls made to and got
— Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) June
21, 2015
Congress
While he called Jaitley "a Congressman at heart", it wasn't as if others were spared. The message sought to be conveyed to the Congress: persistent demands for action against him could lead to more dirt coming out.
P Chidambaram
Former finance minister, who has been one of the most vocal Congressmen to demand action against Modi was singled out in tweets and also on Instagram.
Rajeev Shukla
Rajeev Shukla, of the Congress party, who has worn many hats in cricket administration, including that of the IPL chairman, was next in line.
THIS IS AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE FIRST FAMILY OF
CRICKET. all are #crooked to
the core and cause for #Srini
survival pic.twitter.com/tdLR5flSXY
— Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) June
21, 2015
Follow up Q to @arunjaitley @ShuklaRajiv #narendrabatra
- kindly explain your relationship of any kind with these two pic.twitter.com/MSwR3IHksK
— Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) June
21, 2015
He also took to Instagram to produce evidence with emails from Rajiv Shukla, proposing invitees to the IPL opening ceremony, addressed to the Chief Operating Officer of the IPL Sundar Raman.
And, of course, there were other mentions in passing, such as that about the CEO of Star TV:
What names stick out like a sore thumb. One
that comes up immediately is #udayshankar.
Keep in mind 4 future tweets pic.twitter.com/9PvA0YZexd
— Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) June
21, 2015
Media
"Media people and owners" were, of course, specifically targeted.
1/3Request ALL #MEDIA #PEOPLE #OWNERS - who have #taken MY @IPL @bcci #hospitality Kindly #disclose. The #value of it. And how many times.
— Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) June 20, 2015
2/3 unlike you all - do #breaking #stories - #i am giving you #chance to #volunteer this #info yourself to #people of #india - like its duty
— Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) June 20, 2015
Vineet Jain
The managing director of Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd, the parent company of The Times of India and Times Now news channel was singled out for special attention, presumably because of the TV channel's hard-hitting and persistent coverage of the controversy, demanding action against Modi. Using the handle #TrialByMedia, Modi accusing Jain of earning crores of rupees through IPL and BCCI support and also went on to charge:
3/3 similarly its my #duty too. #vineetjain of #Toi please advise all concerned of what u took #specifically. In my #books it amounts to ..
— Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) June 20, 2015
Modi also released on his Instagram page screenshots of what he said was his SMS-exchange with Jain:
This was followed by a tweet with an email from the sports editor of the newspaper asking for VVIP passes for Jain:
What say @vineetjaintimes - Lots
more to be retrieved - pic.twitter.com/0tf1MaCgqp
— Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) June
21, 2015
Shobhana Bhartia
With the Chairperson and Editorial Director of the Hindustan Times Group, Modi became even more personal, though he told her not to "take it personally".
1/2 My next Question goes out to #hindustan
#times #owner #shobnabhartia
Bhabhi kindly disclose any #personal
relationship with #Jaitley
— Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) June
21, 2015
2/2 and whether you have #facilitated them including #late #Madhavraoscindia in anyway anywhere in the #world - don't take this personally
— Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) June 21, 2015