Didn’t gain a single rupee from CWG: Kalmadi

NEW DELHI - Suresh Kalmadi, former chief of the 2010 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, Sunday offered to resign as a member of parliament if it was proved that he gained even a single rupee from the preparations for the event.

“I can vouch that I have not gained financially even a single rupee out of these Fames and if proved otherwise I am prepared to step down as a member of parliament,” Kalmadi, who is also the chief of the Indian Olympic Association, said in a statement here.

“I am deeply pained and constrained at the malicious campaign going against me regarding Commonwealth Games 2010. The stories going around are far from actual facts,” he said.

The Games, which were held in New Delhi Oct 3-14, 2010, had been marred by allegations of financial irregularities and corruption.

Kalmadi was Jan 5 interrogated by the CBI and his offices and other premises were raided by the investigating agency and tax officials.

Three of his aides have been arrested in Games related cases.

Kalmadi said his only endeavour was to deliver the best Games so that India could stake its claim for hosting the Olympics.

“I do admit that there may have been certain mistakes committed in the management as we have not hosted any big event like this after the Asiad 1982 and we lacked the requisite experience and know-how. But attaching the corruption charge on me is totally unfair,” he said.

The Congress Lok Sabha member from Pune, who lost his job as organising committee chairman last month, also demanded the constitution of a joint parliamentary committee to probe the issues surrounding the CWG if the government was constituting a JPC on the 2G spectrum scam.

“Were the government to agree to constitution of a JPC into the 2G spectrum issue, it would only be fair a similar process of Joint Parliamentary Committee should go into the entire range of issues connected with preparations, execution and conduct of the Commonwealth Games. I am confident that this would enable the entire truth to emerge in the public domain,” he added.

Claiming that the organising committee was allocated just five percent of the total CWG budget, Kalmadi said while he was being singled out and targeted for investigation, the role of others, including the Delhi government and other central government departments connected with the decision making process, who dealt with 95 percent of the budget, was completely overlooked.

He said the CWG was lauded by the sports fraternity as the best ever, but still his reputation was being “greatly harmed” by continuous allegations of wrong-doing with regular media bashing.

“It is a well known fact that even though the Games were awarded in 2003, the actual work towards the Games started somewhere in 2008, with the paucity of time on one side and reputation of country on the other side, there were pressures to complete and achieve target and deadline of Oct 3, 2010. I am thankful to the prime minister for his whole-hearted support,” he said.

Reiterating that there was a well-documented system of decision-making in the organising committee, he said all the government nominees in the panel and executive board were part of the system on all issues, including finance.

“It is rather strange that they have been totally left out with no responsibility being attached to them for the decisions taken,” Kalmadi added.