Published: Saturday, Oct 16, 2010, 1:33 IST
By Harish Gupta & Mihir Vasavda | Place: New Delhi | Agency: DNA
http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report_game-begins-for-suresh-kalmadi_1453283
After the glittering distraction, it’s back to probing questions. What happens to Suresh Kalmadi now?
A hugely successful Commonwealth Games may have provided the organising committee (OC) chairman and his men some reason to gloat, but the Centre is certainly in no mood to forgive and forget the scandals that preceded the event.
The clamour for Kalmadi’s head resumed on Friday. The Congress distanced itself from him, saying, “We are not in the business of giving a clean or unclean chit to anyone.”
The government, on its part, sent a strong signal to all the agencies to resume probes into allegations of corruption and nepotism. Earlier, it had ordered the suspension of investigations till the completion of the Games.
Further, prime minister Manmohan Singh refused to meet the OC members at an event where he felicitated the Commonwealth medallists.
Sensing the mood, Kalmadi directed the committee’s CEO Jarnail Singh to write separate letters to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) to take all the relevant files to complete the investigations.
It was all action on Friday. The CAG sent its teams to the central PWD office located inside the SP Mukherjee stadium and other places. The CVC visited the OC’s offices to pick up more files. The CVC’s technical team had prepared an interim report relating to 16 works worth Rs2,477.22 crore, but had kept it in abeyance until October 14. The CBI also joined the fray.
The enforcement directorate is activating its machinery to trace the allegations of foreign exchange violations and money laundering in contracts given to foreign firms.
This is in tune with Sonia Gandhi’s message at the Congress Parliamentary Party meeting on August 19: “I trust that as soon as the Games are over, the government will look into the allegations of malpractice and spare no one found involved.”
Meanwhile, a ministry official said: “Right now it is very difficult to say what will happen, but it looks like Kalmadi will stay on unless there is substantial proof against him.” Another official said: “Much depends on the CAG’s report. That will decide Kalmadi’s future.”
