Former IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi, who claims that there is no wrongdoing by him in the legal cases faced by him in India, has said that he was born with “a diamond spoon”, has a kingsize lifestyle, travels everywhere and that “Rs 10-12 crore” may not last with him a week.
In an interview with ANI in London, the flamboyant industrialist, who founded the Indian Premier League, said he would not change his lifestyle for anybody and has made money through innovative initiatives in his family business.
“I have done nothing wrong….I told you I was born with a diamond spoon. When you accuse me of taking few crore rupees, I make more than that a day in my life. We are the biggest…company is globally big. It’s a two-and-a-half lakh crore market capitalized value,” he said.
“I’m part of it. I own the business. I gifted it to my children. My children own it. I’m a kept father by my children. I live in a beautiful home. I live the biggest life. I go everywhere. How do you think I do it? What is this thing? I took Rs 10 or Rs 12 crores of money..it won’t last me a week….It is what it is. I was born with it. Why would I change my lifestyle for anybody? Why would I live my life for anybody else? My grandfather didn’t live it. My father didn’t live it for anybody else,” he added.
Answering a query, Lalit Modi described businessman Vijay Mallya, who is facing Enforcement Directorate cases in India, as a friend.
“He’s a friend of mine. Vijay has a different story. Okay? I don’t know what his issue is. But it was to do with banks and things like that. You know, we never borrowed money. I never took money from anybody. I never had any money to take from anybody. I only gave money. I only paid money and none of our businesses have bank borrowings or anything else or government contracts or things like that. We are consumer brand. We are the world’s biggest. We manufacture Marlboro. It is the number one brand worldwide.”
Lalit Modi also spoke about some of the ventures he started including Modi Entertainment Networks.
“I set it all up. The point is, I made hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars in my life. So when you… If I made it myself, not the Modi family money, I made the money myself, okay, why can’t I spend it?” he asked.
Lalit Modi faces an alleged money laundering case by the Enforcement Directorate. In 2013, he was banned for life by BCCI for “indiscipline and misconduct”.
He served as the founder, first chairman and league commissioner of the IPL and oversaw the tournament from 2008 to 2010. He also served as chairman of the Champions League Twenty20 from 2008 to 2010, vice-president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from 2005 to 2010, president of the Rajasthan Cricket Association during two separate terms, and vice-president of the Punjab Cricket Association.
