BJP,Cong pass the CWG muck

Within the Congress too,mud continued to fly. Games Organising Committee OC chief Suresh Kalmadi defied party diktat to launch a fresh attack on Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on television.

He also denied having been kept out of the athletes felicitations by the Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi. He had been invited,Kalmadi said,but could not go because he was too busy seeing off foreign guests.

Gadkari said the escalation of costs in Games projects had the PMO seal,as all files for sanction of funds were approved by it. He alleged that corruption money was passed on to benami companies,relatives of ministers and organisers through Swiss bank accounts,tax havens and the Mauritius route.

The advance amount released to Kalmadi was signed by the Prime Minister. Every file was approved by the PMO. Isnt the whole Cabinet responsible for corruption? Are you the Prime Minister not directly responsible for all this mess? Gadkari asked.

By approving the cost escalation,the PMO has justified it,Gadkari said,and described the high-level committee announced by the PM to probe the Games as an eyewash and drama.

Who is Kalmadi and how is he known to everyone in the Congress? The Prime Minister has given him advance money despite knowing his credentials. Has the Prime Minister released these advances on his advice? And before releasing these advances why did he not follow the rules? Gadkari asked.

The BJP president demanded a probe into the alleged corruption by a joint parliamentary committee JPC,which he said must look into the political patronage and role played by the PMO and Union ministers. Gadkari produced no evidence to back his allegations,but said he would hand all evidence to the JPC.

The Congress rejected Gadkaris charges and the demand for a JPC probe. Party spokesman Manish Tewari said he was feeling insecure and intimidated as a number of BJP leaders have come under the ambit of investigation and are getting caught. Congress sources said the party had decided to play observer for now,and wait for the outcome of the multi-agency probe.

He Gadkari might be scared that investigations may reach up to him also, Tewari said. His press conference is a diversionary tactic. Someone must have told the BJP president that raids are going to happen.

Gadkari feigned ignorance about both Mittal and the I-T searches on his premises.

Who is Sudhanshu? I dont know anything about it. We are not concerned about it. The government should probe all wrongdoings and take action against the guilty, he said at the press conference.

On CNN-IBN,Kalmadi said Delhi Chief Minister Dikshit had a budget ten times the OCs Rs 1,600 crore,and so she has to answer for lot of things. She should not put the blame on somebody else.

Kalmadi said he had been quiet only because the Games were on. Now that the Games are over,I shall speak out. I have already replied to Ms Dikshit that set your own house in order before pointing fingers at us.

He had been invited by the PM,but chose not to go,Kalmadi said: I am not at all a persona non grata. I was seeing off athletes.