NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – Indian police arrested the former chief organiser of the Delhi Commonwealth Games on Monday as part of a crackdown on corruption, embarrassing the government as it fights major state polls.
Suresh Kalmadi, also a senior lawmaker from the ruling Congress Party, was sacked in November after games organisers were accused of manipulating contracts and inflating bills in an event which was meant to showcase India’s rise as a global power but was instead beset by problems.
Hours after his arrest yesterday, Kalmadi was suspended from the Congress Party, a party spokesman told Reuters.
In a separate case, the daughter of a key ally in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s government was among those charged on Monday with taking bribes in a multi-billion dollar telecoms licensing scandal, which may strain the coalition and weaken its chances at the ballot box.
Kalmadi’s arrest puts under renewed scrutiny the $6 billion sporting event last October which became embroiled in rows over leaking stadiums, filthy athletes’ accommodation and inflated tenders for equipment including treadmills and toilet paper.
He was booed during the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony, which was broadcast around the world.
“This is an embarrassment for Congress. They have been trying to avert it for as long as possible, and now they will try to confine the damage to Kalmadi, who now seems to be seen as dispensable,” former magazine editor Swapan Dasgupta said.
