Aiyar demands Asiad-like special panel for Commonwealth Games

There is considerable unease in Congress over the government’s failure to intervene despite piling up of evidences pointing to lack of preparations and transparency in organising the Commonwealth Games.

The warning signals from ministers who handled the portfolio were routinely ignored and organising committee chief Suresh Kalmadi was given a free run. Rajya Sabha member Mani Shankar Aiyar, who handled the sports ministry in UPA-1, on Wednesday gave vent to his anger and demanded the formation of a high level committee to ensure a “clean and successful” event.

“Let us have a high-level apex committee to which all the agencies including the organising committee will be responsible. We may still get a clean Game and a successful one,” Mr Aiyar told reporters outside Parliament. Mr Aiyar also drew the attention to the way other nations hold similar sporting events.

“The Australian government had set up a high-level committee during the Sydney Olympics. What was done at Sydney Olympics was done by the Indira Gandhi during the Asiad 1982 when a Special Organising Committee was set up with Buta Singh as chairman and the Cabinet passed a resolution through which all the concerned ministers were empowered to give sanctions. Then a back bencher called Rajiv Gandhi who happened to be the son of the prime minister was inducted into that Special Organising Committee. He brought along with him a number of young and dynamic people. Between them they organised the Games where there was no scandal and it was a total success,” he said.