'Not enough'

Say opposition leaders, who now want action against Sheila Dikshit

Suresh Kalmadi may have been arrested by the CBI and suspended by the Congress but Opposition parties, it seems, are not happy. They want more. For them, the next in the list should be Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit.


BJP's Vijay Goel and CPM's Sitaram Yechury want more action in the case.

Major Opposition parties including the BJP, CPI (M) and CPI welcomed the action against Kalmadi, but demanded for stern mesaures against others involved in the CWG scams. Terming Kalmadi as only a 'small fry', BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman told MiD DAY, "Kalmadi's arrest is already delayed. Any further delay will only lead to loss of material evidence. Matter should be expedited, others who are involved and others who are till now not even named, bigger, more influential people who had a role in this, should all be named."

Money mantra
Suggesting recovery of the loss of public fund by auctioning the personal property of those who were involved in corruption, BJP general secretary and former sports Minister Vijay Goel demanded that all those politicians and bureaucrats whose names appear in Shunglu Committee report should be immediately arrested.

"It is surprising that Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit who indulged in corruption more than the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee has not yet been arrested," Goel said. Goel also demanded that Kalmadi be immediately dismissed from the Indian Olympic Association post. Another BJP MP Prakash Javadekar described Kalmadi's arrest as 'belated but welcome'. He said there should be similar action against other people. "We demand that action against Delhi chief minister and other senior bureaucrats involved in the loot should also be taken," he added.

'Spare no one'
Like the BJP, the CPI (M) demanded more than the arrest of Kalmadi. Senior party leader Sitaram Yechury said the belated action of Kalmadi's arrest was 'only the tip of an iceberg'. "No reason why Sheila Dikshit should be spared," Yechury said. Demanding prosecution of others who are also involved, CPI MP D Raja said the issue had come up in Parliament also where members had asked the government to spell out what action it had taken in the matter after the Shunglu Committee inquired into the scam. "No one should be allowed to go scot-free in this mega scam," said Raja.

Meanwhile Congress sources told MiD DAY that appropriate action would be taken at appropriate time. This statement came in before the party suspended Kalmadi later in the day.

Mum's the word
Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit refused to react on the arrest of sacked CWG Organising Committee chief Suresh Kalmadi by CBI in connection with irregularities in awarding contract during the Commonwealth Games. The chief minister chose not to respond when asked about Kalmadi's arrest. Immediately after conclusion of the Games last October, Dikshit had said the "suspicion" of corruption in the Commonwealth Games was on the Organising Committee headed by Kalmadi. Dikshit had said the corruption could have taken place in the activities undertaken by the Organising Committee to which the Central government had given loans to the tune of Rs 1,600 crore.