Politics over CWG cars

Sports body chiefs belonging to Congress have cornered luxury vehicles, alleges BJP

Sports body chiefs belonging to Congress have cornered luxury vehicles, alleges BJP

Games corruption is passe, the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party has come up with a new stick to strike at the ruling Congress.


Wheels in motion: Around 400 cars meant for Commonwealth Games
u00a0official delegates and senior dignitaries have allegedly been allotted to
those who are not entitled to them. file pic

It is being alleged that several heads of sports bodies belonging to the Congress are being provided better cars by the Organising Committee (OC) of the Commonwealth Games while their BJP counterparts have either been provided cheaper models or completely ignored.

Sources in the OC told MiD DAY that around 400 cars meant for Commonwealth Games official delegates and senior dignitaries have been allotted to those who are not entitled to them.

The cars in question are from amongst nearly 2,000 Tata Indigo and Tata Safari cars provided to ferry VIPs during the Games.

"I do not know much, but one such incident has come to my knowledge as well. City's mayor and other three designated people in Municipal Corporation of Delhi have not got official vehicles," said VK Malhotra, an executive board member of the Organising Committee and Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly. The BJP is in power in MCD while the Congress rules the Assembly.

According to sources, Delhi government ministers and heads of several sports bodies from the party have been provided cars by the OC while their BJP counterparts were dealt a raw deal.
"There has been a huge disparity among the number of vehicles allotted to the leaders of the two parties," said sources.
"While VK Malhotra has been allotted an Indigo car, Congress MP Jagdish Tytler has been given a Safari car. I can't understand the criterion," said a Delhi BJP leader.u00a0u00a0

Mayor PR Sawhney said, "Neither I asked them to provide the car nor I need it. But the OC has certainly undermined the Mayor's chair."

Though Lalit Bhanot denied, an OC source said, delegates are being ferried in buses while cars are being used by OC officials and those associated with Congress. Sources further added that BJP had a great difficulty in getting the parking and security labels for the vehicles of senior party leaders Arun Jaitley and Lal Krishan Advani and president Nitin Gadkari.

"We have followed the rules laid down in this regard and no partiality has been done with anybody. As per protocol, 300 cars have been provided to the Commonwealth Games Federation. All those who have official government vehicles have not been provided cars by the OC. They have been given parking labels and electronic readable security passes -- ECIL and RFTI," Organising Committee spokesperson Lalit Bhanot said.u00a0
OC Chief and Congress MP Suresh Kalmadi could not be contacted despite several attempts.

Meanwhile, Delhi Mayor Prithviraj Sawhney met Union Minister for Urban Development Jaipal Reddy to describe how he has been "ignored" in the Opening Ceremony of the mega sporting event. "This has been done intentionally. They even ignored the international protocol by not inviting me to the arrival of the Queen's Baton in the city. Why was education minister Arvinder Singh Lovely given the honour, when it should have been given to me?" aked Sawhney, emerging out of a meeting with Reddy.

"A large number of MCD workers toiled day and night to make the Games a success. Whenever there was a problem, the government called us. We spent Rs 10 lakhs for buying the chemical that was sprayed in Baarapullah Naala," added Sawhney.

He alleged that just because he belongs to the Opposition party he was being sidelined.

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