Sonia snubs Kalmadi, Sheila accuses Games OC

A day after the PM's felicitation of Commonwealth Games medal winners left out Suresh Kalmadi, it was the turn of his political boss, Sonia Gandhi, to leave him out. HT reports. Tightening noose | Graphics: Fixing the blame | Pics

A day after the PM's felicitation of Commonwealth Games (CWG) medal winners left out Suresh Kalmadi, it was the turn of his political boss, Sonia Gandhi, to leave him out.

HT Image

Gandhi hosted a similar function on Saturday, but Kalmadi was absent again.

The Prime Minister's office on Friday announced a comprehensive investigation into the allegations of corruption against the Games Organising Committee (OC) headed by Kalmadi.

The PMO's probe is in addition to a multi-agency investigation into the financial and administrative bungling that is going on.

Adding to the increasingly isolated Kalmadi's troubles, just hours after Sonia's snub, Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit said "suspicion" of corruption in the Commonwealth Games was on the OC.

The "real corruption seems to be with regard to the money given as loans (to the OC)," she said at an interaction with Press Trust of India journalists and welcomed the "instantaneous" probe ordered by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to clear the "cobwebs".

While Kalmadi released a statement which 'welcomed' the probes, without making any reference to the snubs.

OC officials said they had no explanation why they and Kalmadi were being kept out of the felicitation functions.

"You should ask them (Congress and PMO)," one of them said.

Congress sources said the move by Gandhi and Singh was aimed at making it clear in no uncertain terms that the irregularities would not glossed over.

An inspection report by the Comptroller & Auditor General released in August this year had listed many irregularities. Sources said the Central Vigilance Commission had more than a dozen complaints to look into.

CVC sources also said Delhi government officials could also find themselves in trouble.

"The full commission will take a view on the responses received to the technical reports," a CVC source said, pointing that the Central Bureau of Investigation had already filed one case against government officials for a scam in upgrading streetlights.

"I would imagine there would be more cases in due course," he said.

Responding to reporters’ questions, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram said his ministry and Delhi Police are ready to give their inputs into the probe if required.

Tightening noose

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Graphics: Fixing the blame

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Pics