New Delhi: Congress today disapproved of the
public sparring between Mani Shankar Aiyar and Suresh Kalmadi
over the Commonwealth Games, saying senior leaders of the
party should speak responsibly when they repply to any issue
in public.
"Seniority subsumes a certain sense of responsibility and
we hope that those who are in senior position would honour the
sense of discretion when they speak in public on any issue,"
Party spokesperson Manish Tewari told reporters at the AICC
briefing here.
He was replying to a volley of questions on the fresh
controversy that kicked off with Aiyar`s comments yesterday
that he would be "unhappy" if the Games became successful,
inviting a strong reaction from Kalmadi, the Indian Olympic
Association chief.
The party spokesperson termed Aiyar`s remarks as a
"personal opinion" made by a nominated member of the Rajya
Sabha, when asked whether the party`s directive to leaders not
to speak out of turn and speak only on their areas of
responsibility was not violated.
Tewari stressed that the government is "leaving no stone
unturned" to see that the Games are a success and "it`s a
matter of prestige" for the country to host the event.
Asked about the delay in the completion of preparations
for the Games, Tewari said, "Since we have undertaken an
international commitment, we need to ensure that it is done
speedily. If the Games are not successful, it will not reflect
on anyone individual but the honour of the nation."
To a query about leakage in some of the stadiums, the
spokesperson said, "It`s a matter of concern" and added the
games have to be completed successfully and deficiencies, if
any, have to be corrected.
"If at all any post-mortem is to be done, it can be done
after the Games are over," he said.
PTI
