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Regular-article-logo Tuesday, 08 July 2025

Kalmadi hits out at CBI

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OUR CORRESPONDENT Published 25.02.11, 12:00 AM

Ranchi, Feb. 24: A day after two of his close aides were arrested in connection with the Commonwealth Games scam, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) chief Suresh Kalmadi slammed the authorities and the CBI for targeting the CWG organising committee alone.

The former chief of the CWG organising committee, who arrived here yesterday, said decisions on construction of stadiums and purchase of equipment for the Delhi sporting extravaganza were taken at various levels, including the ministry of youth affairs and sports as well as different committees. But the investigating agency was only targeting the organising committee.

“Officials who worked hard to ensure the success of the Games have been singled out. The CBI is ignoring the fact that the decisions have been taken at various levels — finance committee, finance sub-committee and the executive board — and not by individuals. Above all, the ministry of youth affairs and sports has always been involved in the decision-making process,” the Indian Olympic Association’s president told the media.

Kalmadi further said the government officers, who had been part of the entire process of construction of stadiums and purchase of equipment, had not been interrogated.

Notably, yesterday, the CBI arrested Commonwealth Games organising committee’s secretary-general Lalit Bhanot and its director-general V.K. Verma in connection with alleged irregularities in the Rs 107-crore deal inked with a Swiss timing firm.

The IOA chief, who is in favour of a probe into the scam by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), added that the members of the CWG organising committee had always co-operated with the investigating agencies, making all documents available to them and presenting themselves at the CBI offices whenever summoned.

“But I fail to understand why only the officials of the organising committee are being singled out. Such steps will discourage respectful sports officers from taking up the task of bringing world-class sporting events to India,” Kalmadi said in a written statement to the media.

Kalmadi, who has been frequently visiting the state capital because of the National Games, was spotted with secretary-general of Jharkhand Olympic Association (JOA) S.M. Hashmi and a few local Congress leaders here.

In fact, a section of bureaucrats and the powers that be feel that it was due to Kalmadi that the President, Vice-President and the Prime Minister decided to skip the opening ceremony of the 34th edition of the National Games. They have not yet confirmed about their presence during the closing ceremony on February 26. So far, only Union sports minister Ajay Maken has confirmed to the National Games Organising Committee (NGOC) that it would grace the function as the chief guest.

In Jharkhand too, allegations of large-scale corruption by the office-bearers of various sports associations had surfaced in the run-up to the National Games. Notably, the office of accountant-general has advised the state sports department to ensure that the NGOC is not dissolved after the Games till the accounts are settled.

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