New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit now guns for Organising Committee Chief Suresh Kalmadi on Saturday and welcomed the probe ordered by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh into corruption in the Commonwealth Games. And after Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi too snubbed Kalmadi.
The Delhi Chief minister is the latest to join the war of words. She says that there is something mysterious about the way OC conducted the Games and that only a thorough probe will clear all the cobwebs.
"I think only this committee which has been set up will be able to clear the cobwebs. At the moment the suspicion is very much on the OC," says Sheila.
Sheila said the corruption could have taken place in the activities undertaken by the Organising Committee to which the Central government had given loans to the tune of Rs 1,600 crore.
She was of the view that Kalmadi, who is the target of attack over the mess that was witnessed in run up to the Games, had failed to "win confidence" of people.
"We feel relieved and happy (at the successful Games). But what is disturbing is the corruption charges. They are very disturbing," Sheila said.
"The fact that the Prime Minister has taken almost an instantaneous decision to order probe into the whole thing and have the picture ready by January, that I think is very heartening," she said.
The Prime Minister set up a high-level committee headed by former CAG V K Shunglu to probe the organising of the CWG, a day after the mega sporting event got over.
Sheila, who answered a range of questions on CWG preparations and the controversies surrounding it, underlined that the allegations of corruption are "not going to be pushed under the carpet".
She said the "real corruption seems to be with regard to the money given as loans (to the OC)".
Noting that infrastructure development was the Government's job, the Chief Minister said the Centre had given "a number of loans (to OC) and that is where the real corruption is. There may have also been (corruption) in some government departments. I am not ruling that out."
Referring to probe ordered by the Prime Minister, she said, "I think only this committee which has been set up will be able to clear the cobwebs. At the moment the suspicion is very much on the OC."
Kalmadi was not invited to her residence 10 Janpath where the Congress felicitated the Commonwealth Games Gold medalists. Sports Minister M S Gill was also present. Kalmadi was not invited on Friday as well when the Prime Minister hosted a function to felicitate the Indian medalists.
(With inputs from PTI)
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