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Oppn demands JPC on Games irregularities
Faraz Ahmad
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 9
The Opposition demanded today a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to investigate here and now allegations of large-scale corruption and misuse of funds for the Commonwealth Games (CWG) and redeem India’s prestige in the comity of nations

Cutting across party lines, Opposition MPs went hammer and tongs at the Sports Ministry, the Urban Development Ministry, the DDA, and the NDMC. However, JD-U president Sharad Yadav, largely spared CWG organising committee chairman, Suresh Kalmadi, listening attentively to the whole debate.

With most works relating to the CWG undertaken either directly by his ministry or from its funds, Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy said: “I don’t say no irregularities have been committed. But the strength of our system is to be able to correct things by holding exhaustive inquiry. “The guilty will be punished.”

Reddy predicted that the Games would be more grand and greater success than those at Barcelona or Melbourne.

A former Indian Test cricketer Kirti Azad from BJP opened the Opposition innings focusing his attention on the Delhi Government, the NDMC, Gill and Reddy. But for some mysterious reason Azad did not raise a finger at the Games Organising Committee or its chairman Kalmadi. He defended Kalmadi so blatantly that at one point he had to say: “I am not an advocate of the Organising Committee, but whoever has disobeyed the Official Secrets Act should be severely punished.”

He again defended Kalmadi for not providing space to the players to train saying, “But what should I tell him (Kalmadi) when the stadia have not been handed over to him so far.”

Azad ended his speech by criticising the government for giving importance to Commonwealth Games Federation Michael Fennell. “This Mike Fennel was not even of the level of Deputy Secretary of Government of India. So much importance was being attached to him.” Mike Fennel was the first one to criticise and question more than a year ago Sureh Kalmadi’ ability to handle the Games.

Even Lalu Prasad waivered in his attack of Kalmadi. But Sharad Yadav pulled no punches. Demanding a JPC, said: “And this Shera (the CWG mascot), please also put him in the committee. He is so thick skinned that we feel ashamed but it makes no difference to him.”

When Congress members protested, Sharad Yadav offered to take back whatever might have hurt the sentiments of Kalmadi but told the treasury benches “But even your people are not ready to defend him.”