CWG: NDA armed with privilege notices on Maken statement
Maken in a controversial suo motu statement had said that the NDA was responsible for the appointment of Suresh Kalmadi as the Organising Committee chief of the Commonwealth Games. The decision to move the privilege notices were made after a meeting chaired by BJP leader LK Advani. They have also decided to stall the functions of both houses in case their notices were rejected.
The NDA had also sought a suspension of the question hour and directly debate the issue in the floor of the house. Yashwant Sinha will move the notice in the Lok Sabha with S S Ahluwalia moving the same in the Rajya Sabha.
In spite of the CAG report indicting that the Prime Minister's Office was responsible for putting Kalmadi in the top role, Maken had alleged that he was elected to the post by the IOA as per the Host City Contract approved by the NDA regime. He added that "there was no scope for any change".
Maken had also rejected the suggestion that Kalmadi's appointment led to the Organzing Committee falling outside government control. Further to this, Maken in his statement said that according to the Host City Contract signed on Nov 13, 2003 by the IOA, together with the Delhi's Lt Governor and the then Sports Secretary, it was the Commonwealth Games Association that was made responsible to establish the Organizing Committee for the games.
The statement added, "The Cabinet of the NDA government, in a decision taken on September 11, 2003, had also agreed to underwrite any shortfall between revenue and expenditure of OC."
OneIndia News