Lamenting that his reputation has harmed due to regular media bashing, former chairman of the CWG Organising Committee Suresh Kalmadi Mr Kalmadi repeated that the government had given the OC only about five per cent of the total Games budget to the OC and, yet, only he was being singled out.
Mr Kalmadi also thanked the Prime Minister for his support that ensured that most of the targets and deadlines were met. He said that while the Games were awarded in 2003, the work on it began only in 2008.
The statement also reiterated several other points, which Mr Kalmadi, has used in the past to defend himself. These included: financial decisions were taken collectively; mistakes only on the management side due to lack of know-how as India hosted a multi-discipline sporting event after a gap of 28 years; sports fraternity and international media called it a huge success and a malicious campaign being run against him on the basis of stories far from truth.
However, with the CBI either having grilled or arrested most of his close aides, the road ahead for Mr Kalmadi is likely to be rough. The CBI is also understood to be in the process sending a letter rogatory (LR) to the United Kingdom seeking details of payments allegedly made by Ashish Patel, owner of London-based AM Films and AM Cars, to Mr Kalmadi through the latter’s associates. In fact, some unconfirmed reports suggested that the LR in this connection has already been sent.
Mr Patel is an accused in two FIRs registered by the CBI in connection with the alleged irregularities in hiring of his company during the Queen’s Baton Relay in 2009. The CBI had allegedly revealed an email sent by him to a former OC official and an accused, M. Jayachandran, which allegedly mentioned about kickbacks made to Mr Kalmadi.
Meanwhile, steering clear of commenting on party MP Suresh Kalmadi asking for a JPC on CWG related issues, the Congress claimed that it did not “believe in commenting on ongoing criminal proceedings”. When asked to give the party’s view on the issue raised by the MP, AICC spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, “We do not believe in commenting on ongoing criminal proceedings.”