April 24: Lalit Modi’s threat on Twitter, to expose those who “tried to bring disrepute to the game”, has left the hassled Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) more infuriated.

Modi is himself a senior BCCI official — vice-president from Central Zone and the chairman and commissioner of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

“The BCCI isn’t going to be cowed down.… This institution has overcome many tough situations, the Modi affair is just one more.... He’s free to tweet, but what about the scandalous deals he has struck?” asked a top official, in a one-on-one with The Telegraph, from Mumbai.

An equally senior official said: “It’s because of Modi that so much muck has already been thrown around.… Just how much more dirt can he throw? This is plain and simple blackmail. The sooner we get rid of him, the better.…”

Tweeting with a vengeance today, Modi also declared that he wouldn’t quit. “People pressurising me to resign — I can tell you will not happen. Let them remove me then.”

That’s precisely what the BCCI intends to do, with the lead being taken by upright president Shashank Manohar.

In the strongest signal yet, that he was a persona non grata, the BCCI didn’t ask Modi to attend a Champions League-related meeting, in Mumbai, this afternoon.

Present were officials from Cricket Australia and Cricket South Africa. Modi is the Champions League’s chairman, too.

Modi, in fact, has paid no heed even to Union minister Sharad Pawar, a former BCCI president and the next head of the International Cricket Council.

Till the other day, it was assumed, in cricketing circles, that Pawar only had to pick up the phone and his wish would be fulfilled. Not so now.

It was, after all, on Thursday night that Pawar asked Modi to put in his papers.

After this rebuff, which has left many stunned, it’s to be seen how much of an influence Pawar will continue to have.

A confirmation wasn’t available till late at night, but there has been talk that Modi may be suspended pending a disciplinary inquiry.

With Manohar himself a lawyer and legal eagle Arun Jaitley (he wears other hats as well) part of the BCCI’s core group, one expects a watertight case to be made out.

Monday’s IPL emergent governing council meeting, labelled “unauthorised” by Modi, stands.

The bottom line, clearly, is that the Manohars don’t trust Modi and absolutely no “grace period” is going to be given.

Key BCCI officials met yet again, during the day, and may meet once more in the next 12 hours.

The BCCI, by the way, isn’t amused by some of the franchise owners coming out in support of Modi. The general impression is that the cornered IPL chairman and commissioner has been “orchestrating” it.

Significantly, there appears to be a split over the top officials attending the closing ceremony and the IPL III final, in Navi Mumbai, tomorrow evening.

“Not attending would mean we feel that the IPL is Modi’s property…. Well, it’s not,” said one official. Another, though, maintained that Modi’s “isolation” must continue.

Whether Sachin Tendulkar will take the field or not isn’t the only question doing the rounds.