Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: Apparently voicing the discomfort within the Congress over the corruption scandal surrounding the Commonwealth Games, senior Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh has opined that Suresh Kalmadi should resign as chairman of the organising committee on moral grounds if his name figures in a CBI prima facie case.
"If his name is in a CBI prima facie case, then on
moral grounds he should resign," he told reporters in Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh late Monday.
Singh, who is in-charge of Uttar Pradesh is the second
Congressman after Rajya Sabha MP Mani Shankar Aiyar to comment
on the Commonwealth Games.
Aiyar, a stern critic of the Delhi Games, had recently
created a furore by saying that he would be unhappy if the CWG
were a success and that only "evil" would support such an
event.
He had also said his outburst against the Commonwealth
Games has opened up "a can of worms" which was evident from
the alleged corruption charges that have rocked the October
3-14 sporting extravaganza.
Singh said an inquiry was already on and if Kalmadi is
found guilty, then resignation should be the logical outcome.
He said he was against the media trial of the corruption charges surrounding the Games scheduled to be held
in October.
He said no one should jump to any conclusions and
await the result of the inquiry.
Digvijaya Singh’s comment comes at a time when there are reports that Suresh Kalmadi has sought support from his party MPs.
In a letter sent to all Congress MPs, Kalmadi has reiterated his openness to a judicial probe or by the CAG.
But clearly, Digvijaya’s pointed intervention on the contentious issue has given rise to speculations that the Congress top brass irked with Suresh Kalmadi, IOA chief of 14 years, especially after the opposition took the dealings of the CWG 2010 in the Lok Sabha debate yesterday.
After a pounding by the opposition, which demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee to go into allegations of corruption in Delhi Games, government had said that irregularities would be inquired into "exhaustively" and the corrupt would be pursued till the "end of the earth".
Sports Minister MS Gill is set to reply to the Lok Sabha debate today. The government has already found itself on the back foot with key ally Trinamool Congress calling for a statement from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the issue.
UPA also appealed to parties, cutting across lines, to ensure that the games are held successfully.
"I don`t say that corruption has not taken place. No one can say that. All irregularities will be inquired into exhaustively," said Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy in a spirited intervention during a debate on the games in Lok Sabha.
