By News Desk
Melbourne, 29 July: Two Kookaburra bats signed by cricketers Brett Lee and Glenn McGrath presented to Indian Ministers Sushma Swaraj and Rajnath Singh by Australian Immigration Minister Scott Morrison during his recent visit to India are creating controversy here. Scott Morrison went to Delhi to secure the asylum seeker deal with India to take back its nationals out of the 156 Tamil asylum seekers who arrived by a boat from India and have now been shifted to Curtain (Western Australia) after being detained in a Customs boat. India agreed during Scott Morrison’s visit to take back the Indian nationals after vetting them.
According to PTI quoting a recent report in ‘The Daily Telegraph’, Morrison used a “secret weapon when he flew to India to secure the first asylum seeker deal with India”.
“When he met with the Indian Home Affairs Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, he handed them a pair of Kookaburra cricket bats signed by former Australian Test bowlers Brett Lee and Glenn McGrath,” the report said adding, “Both were happy to sign the bats as a favour to Morrison, after he told them what they were for”.
Official sources, in New Delhi said the ministers received the signed bats from Morrison during his visit to India.
The PTI report says: “Lee’s manager Neil Maxwell said that he was unaware that bats signed for the Immigration Minister would be given to Indian officials involved in asylum seeker deal.” and
“Maxwell said he appreciated the controversy surrounding the bats but says Lee signed them without asking what they would be used for.”
The issue has become a hot topic on social media and has been reported by The Australian Financial Review and Fox News also.
