Stepping up his attack, IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi today claimed that Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor had a hidden agenda of taking away the Kochi franchise to Abu Dhabi. The charge was strongly refuted by Mr. Tharoor. <br/><br/>Talking to reporters in Mumbai, Mr Modi claimed that one of his colleague was approached by Mr. Tharoor seeking his support to move the team out to Abu Dhabi. <br/><br/>He also denied accusations that political pressure was put on investors to bid for the Ahmedabad franchise.<br/><br/>Rejecting Modi's claim, Mr. Tharoor said he heard after his return from Parliament that he had an agenda to shift the Kochi team to Abu Dhabi. He said, Dubai was referred to by him because a large number of Malayalees live there and in the rest of the Gulf and there can be a possibility of an exhibition match.