No move to bring no-confidence resolution against Kalmadi

IOA officials may have been quick to appoint V K Malhotra as the acting president but there is no move to bring about a no-confidence resolution against Suresh Kalmadi who has been arrested on corruption charges.

New Delhi: The IOA officials may have been quick to appoint veteran administrator V K Malhotra as the acting president but there is no move to bring about a no-confidence resolution against Suresh Kalmadi who has been arrested on corruption charges.

The swift action to end Kalmadi`s 15-year-reign as the IOA chief was taken yesterday by the senior officials in a meeting chaired by Malhotra himself, citing clause 13B of the constitution which empowers the vice-president to take interim charge in the absence of the president. Malhotra will now call a meeting of the IOA Executive Board at the earliest in consultation with the Secretary General Randhir Singh to discuss the situation arising out of the arrest of Kalmadi. Randhir, who reached Delhi last night, has gone to Jodhpur today and could not have a meeting with Malhotra though both have discussed the issue over telephone. "Once the Secretary General (Randhir Singh) returns to Delhi, a date for the meeting will be announced. A notice of 15 days has to be given to the members", a top IOA official said.The official said that there was no move as yet to bring about a no-confidence motion against Kalmadi. "As far as we are concerned, we now have a acting president. Kalmadi is not in the scene. No member has given us any notice about a no-confidence motion", the official said. When contacted, Vice-President Tarlochan Singh said that there was no move to bring about a no-confidence motion against Kalmadi. "We have not heard about such a move. No member has raised this issue as of now", Tarlochan told reporters. Tarlochan said that appointing Malhotra as the officiating president was in keeping with the IOA constitution and it was done quickly to ensure that there was no leadership vacuum."Under Article 13B of IOA constitution, the senior vice president will chair all the meeting during the absence of the president. In case of the long absence of the president, the senior vice president will discharge all the responsibilities of the president. So we have decided to appoint Malhotra as the acting president," Tarlochan said. As per the IOA constitution, a Special General Body Meeting to bring about a no-confidence resolution can be convened on a written requisition by not less than 50 per cent of the member units. To pass a no-confidence resolution, a two-third majority was mandatory. Tarlochan also claimed that many of the members, who were not present at the meeting yesterday, have called up Malhotra and supported him. PTI