The Congress on Wednesday further distanced itself from former CWG OC chairman Suresh Kalmadi, claiming that he did not hold post of OC chief on account of his being the party member.
When asked, would it not be an embarrassment for the party if Mr Kalmadi got into trouble in connection with the CWG scam, AICC spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed said, “The episode has nothing to do with the Congress. Mr Kalmadi was elected as chairman of the OC because of his being the head of Indian Olympic Association and not because he was a member of Congress or party’s Lok Sabha MP from Pune.”
Deflecting attention from his own party and Mr Kalmadi, Dr Ahmed said, leaders of other political parties like Vijay Kumar Malhotra of the BJP and Tarlochan Singh, who was chairman of the National Commission for Minorities during the NDA’s rule, were also associated with the Organising Committee of the mega sporting extravaganza.
Asked whether the party feared further embarrassment in the event of arrest of Mr Kalmadi, the spokesperson said the CBI was looking into the matter and is “free to take its own course”.