PMO under Manmohan responsible for Kalmadi's appointment: BJP

BJP on Monday sharpened its attack against sports minister Ajay Maken for allegedly misleading the Lok Sabha on appointment of Suresh Kalmadi as CWG Organising Committee head, saying the CAG report makes it clear that Manmohan Singh's PMO was responsible for it.

BJP on Monday sharpened its attack against sports minister Ajay Maken for allegedly misleading the Lok Sabha on appointment of Suresh Kalmadi as CWG Organising Committee head, saying the CAG report makes it clear that Manmohan Singh's PMO was responsible for it.

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"I had moved a motion to suspend the Question Hour in Lok Sabha to discuss the suo motu statement made by Youth Affairs and Sports minister Ajay Maken on August 2 amid the din in Lok Sabha. My second notice was a breach of privilege by Maken in the sense that he had misled the House by concealing a great deal of information," senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha said.

Sinha said despite his best efforts in the House, speaker Meira Kumar did not accept his request.

With the government agreeing to a debate on the issue on Tuesday, Sinha will initiate the debate in Lok Sabha while Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley will do so in the Rajya Sabha.

BJP sources said the party's main target will be Maken and through him the Prime Minister's Office. Maken had charged in his statement that the erstwhile NDA government had appointed Kalmadi as chief of CWG Organising Committee.

"On October 26, 2004, Kalmadi wrote a letter to the Prime Minister saying the IOA chief should be chairperson of the Organising Committee....

"...On October 28, 2004, the PM acknowledged his letter. The CWG Federation also accepted it. On December 6, 2004, the PM sent a communication to the GOM (headed by Arjun Singh) which accepted it on January 29, 2005," Sinha said.

Ironically, in this whole process Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit- whose resignation the opposition is demanding and has even forced an adjournment of Parliament on the issue-is likely to go almost unscathed.