M A I N   N E W S

Games row rocks LS, Oppn wants answers from PM
Aditi Tandon/TNS

UP IN ARMS: BJP activists stand on police barricades to protest against alleged corruption in Games-related works in New Delhi on Friday. — PTI

New Delhi, August 6
Corruption in the organisation of the forthcoming Commonwealth Games (CWG) today rocked the Lok Sabha as a united Opposition cornered the government for unaccounted spending of public money and sought answers from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who was not present.

They wanted to know how the CWG Organising Committee (OC) spent Rs 961 crore to renovate Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi when a brand new Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium could be built in Hyderabad for Rs 85 crore? The OC is spending Rs 4459.48 crore on renovation of venues -- Rs 262 crore on Major Dhyan Chand Stadium for Hockey; Rs 669 crore on IG Stadium Complex; Rs 149 crore on Karni Singh Shooting Range. Contrastingly, the BCCI spent just Rs 85 crore to construct Ferozeshah Kotla Stadium!

Alarmed, the BJP-led opposition, in an unprecedented move, even prevented the government from responding to accusations made in the zero hour that one lakh crore (not Rs 50,000 crore as the government claims) had been spent on the Games, with much lost to corruption.

Ministers have the right to intervene on zero hour references but today when Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy wanted to respond after facing the flak (he was is in the line of fire for not delivering official flats for the Games), Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj stood in his way saying the Government could respond only after a comprehensive debate on the matter.

She argued that since it had been decided in the Business Advisory Committee meeting that a Rule 193 (urgent public importance) discussion would be held on CWG corruption, an official reply would be acceptable only after the debate. JDU chief Sharad Yadav even walked out to protest the Government’s attempt “to give a half baked reply to a half baked debate”.