Kochi’s Own Tea Party Types

Kerala’s opposition leader Oommen Chandy is hardly known as a sports enthusiast. So what does he have to do with the Indian Premier League?

Kerala’s opposition leader Oommen Chandy is hardly known as a sports enthusiast. So what does he have to do with the Indian Premier League? Well, he’s the peacemaker of the season for the Kochi Tuskers of Kerala. After the municipal corporation refused to grant entertainment tax exemption for the seats in the hospitality box (where the chosen elite sit during IPL matches) at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, Chandy stepped in.  The KTK owners claimed the exemption saying that those sitting in the hospitality block were not spectators, but guests. The Corporation of Cochin refused to give the exemption. The owners retaliated by threatening to shift base from Kochi to Ahmadabad. At this point, Chandy intervened and made a settlement. The hospitality block now stands open and the tax exemption is in force.