CWG: Kalmadi fights back, hints at conspiracy
Rajdeep Sardesai , CNN-IBN Posted on Sep 27, 2010 at 18:13 | Updated Sep 27, 2010 at 21:28
New Delhi: Commonwealth Games Organising committee chief Suresh Kalmadi on Monday hit back at his detractors saying that the "conspiracy against the CWG is a conspiracy against India" and that a "fewpictures of dirty toilets does not mean that the Games Village is not world class".
Speaking to IBN 18 editor-in-chief Rajdeep Sardesai, Kalmadi said he had never considered resigning at any stage. "I take responsibility for mess but must be given credit if Games are a success," he said before training his guns at Mani Shankar Aiyer, who he blamed for not having worked for two years while he was the Union Sports Minister. Kalmadi, who is also the president of the Indian Olympic Association, also did not spare Commonwealth Games Federation CEO and asked "Mike Hooper has been in India for four years, what was he doing?"
"I am ready to face judicial inquiry after games on corruption charges, hang me if I am proved guilty," he told CNN-IBN while clearly indicating that he was not prepared to go down without a fight.
"Some countries did not want India to get the games," Kalmadi said. He also accused the builder and the contractor for delaying the CWG village because of a fight between the two.
"Work in flats are still going on, it's a good sign that the sun has come out and the stagnant water has dried up. We should have got the village clean from DDA and the builders. Cleaning up the village is not the work of the Organising Committtee."
"There are small issues, small complaints of accommodation and transport. We are coming to terms with full-mode operations, but there is no need of any more complaints. All the people have enjoyed the games village," he asserted.
Here is the full version of transcribed interview:
Rajdeep Sardesai: Has there been a time in the last few months where you have lost confidence, where you felt I may just give up and step down?
Suresh Kalmadi: Well Rajdeep, you have interviewed me quite a few times and I have always been confident and criticism coming, I don't get affected by it, well whatever has been said, I am OK about it, I will take that and I have corrected myself. But where it has been unnecessary, I don't listen to it too much, but my job is a chairman of organizing committee and will take any blame for it but when the game is over, I hope I will get the credit also.
Rajdeep Sardesai: So you want the credit if the Games are successful because you think you have copped all the blame for the Games going wrong, but Mr Kalmad honestly did you ever think in the last few months that I should resign and just step down?
Suresh Kalmadi: Never, my team of four thousand people are working day and night and I always knew that it will be going to be a great Games and the Govt of India has given me a total support .
Rajdeep Sardesai: Total support? the Prime Minister at no stage said that Suresh Kalmadi you should step down and let someone else take over?
Suresh Kalmadi: Never, never
Rajdeep Sardesai: At no stage did he gave you an impression, even when when K M Chandrasekhar, Cabinet Ministers was in ask to supervise the functioning of the Games?
Suresh Kalmadi: No one was asked to supervise the Games, I am looking at the Games myself. K M Chandrasekharji has been very helpful, he has given me support, that's what I m saying, the Govt has given me full support, Sheila ji has given me full support, Dr Gill has given me full support, Jaipal Reddyhas given me full support, lieutenant Governor has given me full support and I am thankful to all of them.
Rajdeep Sardesai: But the truth is that there are too many authorities, that you claim that you are in charge, but there is the urban development ministry, there is the sports ministry, there is the Delhi Govt, there is the Union Govt, there are too many authorities running the Commonwealth Games and that's been the problem?
Suresh Kalmadi: No, it has not been the problem, it has been the great advantage. Let me tell you, everybody has got his role fixed out, Sheila ji has to look after the city, lieutenant has to look after the security, Mr Gill has to look after all the sports stadium etc and general coordination and if there has been a difference in opinion Jaipal Reddy has acted as a referee. So everybody has got his roles very clear and I tell you its going to be a great Games as everybody has supported.
Rajdeep Sardesai: You don't think that there have been too many cooks who has spoiled theCommonwealth Games broth?
Suresh Kalmadi: Not at all
Rajdeep Sardesai: But let me give u a concrete example, just six days to go, 34 towers were meant to be built for the Games Village, of them even today as we speak 10 towers are not complete, there were total of 400 rooms, cleanliness and electrical work has been finished only in 2400 rooms, athletes have already started arriving. This cleanliness factor in the Games Village has become a huge issue now. Where did that go wrong?
Suresh Kalmadi: Let me tell you, I am just coming back from the Village, I had lunch will all the athletes, all of them are loving the Village. They said that they have not seen such a Village anywhere. Now, its true that cleanliness part of it was not maintained, this is because we got the venue late, there was a big fight between the builder of that place and the contractor. Three months there was no work going in the Games Village.
Rajdeep Sardesai: But that's not the excuse?
Suresh Kalmadi: I am not giving any excuses because I am ready to take all the blame, I accept all the blame, there is no doubt about that.
Rajdeep Sardesai: Even for cleanliness and maintenance you are ready to take the blame?
Suresh Kalmadi: See, I am chairman of Organsing Commitee, I will take all the blame which is there but having said that, whoever was responsible delivering, like the Games Village for example, the builder and contractor had a big fight and for three months it closed down, I mean it can't be put into my account.
Rajdeep Sardesai: But this is where it comes too many authorities, because it was public, private partnership, between DDA and MRMGF, couldn't you have intervened?
Suresh Kalmadi: Let me tell you, we got all our responsibilities very clearly cut out, there is a host city contract which has been signed by the central Govt, Delhi Govt, Indian Olympic Association and by the Organizing Committee, so everybody's roles and responsibilities are fixed. My responsibility is run the Games.
Rajdeep Sardesai: But what about the fact that the basic responsibility that the rooms should be ready, they should be clean, they should be hygienic, the maintenance and housekeeping standard should be of international level, that's not happened. You are blaming it on three months fight, couldn't you have intervened because the Commonwealth Games federation boss, Mike Fenell and Mike Hooper CEO, say that they have send repeated warnings, that Games Village will not be ready in time?
Suresh Kalmadi: It's true they gave warnings but what I have said was this part is not my responsibility. My responsibility is to run the Games.
Rajdeep Sardesai: You are passing the buck, someone would say that you are passing the buck, you are the chairperson of organizing committee?
Suresh Kalmadi: I am telling, you are bringing in another story, I am telling you that I am ready to take the buck for it. I am ready to take all the blame there is no issue on that.
Rajdeep Sardesai: No, the worry is once the Games are over, there would be no postmortem, once the Games are over no one will worry about the accountability because the Games are over we move on in life?
Suresh Kalmadi: No, your channel should make sure that this accountability tales place.
Suresh Kalmadi: Definitely because so many charges have been put on me which is not at all the actual case. I want my name to be clear and I want inquiry on this matter.
Rajdeep Sardesai: You want total inquiry on all charges whether it is Queen's Baton Relay, whether its any corruption charges?
Suresh Kalmadi: Everything, specially on corruption charges, I want to come clear out of it. I have been upset, the morale of the whole team, it has done lot of things on a team moral and let there be a proper inquiry, we are ready to face it.
Rajdeep Sardesai: Not just you, even the Sports Minister MS Gill, the likes of Jaipal Reddy, the likes of Shiela Dixit, even the Prime Minister, shouldn't be all in someway held accountable, if things go wrong. They are in, this is a collective enterprise as you said?
Suresh Kalmadi: I am ready to take the blame, why you want to bring others, I am ready to take the blame.
Rajdeep Sardesai: Mike Hooper, who is the CEO o Commonwealth Games federation has said it's Indian Govt responsibility, don't blame me, don't blame the CWG federations. We have been sending out warnings. How do you respond to Mike Hooper, virtually saying that its an Indian Govt which has to answer for all that's gone wrong?
Suresh Kalmadi: Mike Hooper has been in Delhi for past four years and he should have known what all has been happening. There is no point blaming the Govt because the Govt has given us only the full support and Mike Hooper also need not blame the Govt.
Rajdeep Sardesai: Are you saying he must also take part of responsibility if things go wrong? He just can't pass the buck to the Indian Govt.
Suresh Kalmadi: Definitely, everyone has to tale responsibility, if they have not done their job that have to take their responsibility.
Rajdeep Sardesai: You believe that he could have done much more?
Suresh Kalmadi: Definitely, he could have done much more, I could have done much more and I am sure.
Rajdeep Sardesai: You think this is the Western conspiracy, that some of the Western countries cannot accept the fact that India can organize a successful Commonwealth Games?
Suresh Kalmadi: Definitely there is a part conspiracy.
Rajdeep Sardesai: There is a part conspiracy, don't you think its a conspiracy to damage India's image in the world?
Suresh Kalmadi: I won't go too much in the detail but what I want to say that is that we will talk once the Games are over.
Rajdeep Sardesai: But Mani Shankar Aiyar, for example the biggest critic of the Games, says that this is the waste of the money and there was no need to organize the Commonwealth Games. What will you like to tell him six days before the CWG?
Suresh Kalmadi: i would like to say if at all this Commonwealth Games were delayed to any extent, it Mani Shankar who is responsible, when he was Sports Minister for two years nothing moved, no stadium was built nothing happened, that is why we are suffering because of that.
Rajdeep Sardesai: Why didn't you raise with the PM, that you have a Sports Minister who was not cooperating? My point is why now at the last moment we have got on to this, why all these issues have not been settled over the last seven years. Seven years sir is a long tome.
Suresh Kalmadi: Mani Shankar everybody knows and he was removed, there was no question about that.
Rajdeep Sardesai: But for two years he was sports minister, surely the Prime Minister you could have approached and said that sports minister is not cooperating with me?
Suresh Kalmadi: Everybody knew it, it was history, there is no question of telling anyone about him, every body knew what he was doing and so he was no sports minister after two years.
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