Big B won't be CWG Brand Ambassador: Kalmadi

Indian Olympic Association and Commonwealth Games chief Suresh Kalmadi on Tuesday said that the upcoming Delhi Games will not have actor Amitabh Bachchan as its face and the CWG committee was looking for a new brand ambassador.

“We need to keep young people, can’t follow the module of the Asiad Games (1982). We had thought of names like Milkha Singh and PT Usha but are currently looking at younger people (to represent CWG 2010).”

He also said that it was not his decision alone to appoint the brand ambassador and since it was everyone’s event, consensus would be taken before a final call.

Hinting at politically driven motives for the move, BJP leader Vijay Kumar Malhotra told Zeenews that it was unfortunate and questioned Kalmadi’s authority for taking such a decision. He further accused the core working committee of the Commonwealth Games to be Congress dominated and hoped to get public support behind him on the issue.

However, this came after BJP suggested Amitabh Bachchan's name as brand ambassador of Commonwealth Games yesterday. Congress, on the other hand, said the party has a habit of "fishing in troubled waters".

A day after senior BJP leader and Indian Olympic Association's senior vice-president Vijay Kumar Malhotra suggested Bachchan's name as the main brand ambassador for the Commonwealth Games, Congress leader Ambika Soni said, "BJP has a habit of fishing in troubled waters. Without any background they have to interfere in each and every matter. I don't want to comment on this statement any further."

“On a daily basis, BJP raises some issue and we cannot spend time on reacting to each and every statement of theirs," she added.

The Commonwealth Games 2010 are to be held in New Delhi from October and the event has been marred with controversies from its early days.