Arrest is only the tip of the iceberg, says Gadkari

The arrest of Suresh Kalmadi was just the tip of the iceberg and not a single paisa was spent without the approval of a whole host of committees and the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari told reporters here on Monday.

Mr. Gadkari said he had papers, obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, to show that the expenses were sanctioned by the Group of Ministers, a Cabinet sub-committee, an Expenditure and Finance committee, the PMO and the Prime Minister.

While welcoming the arrest, Mr. Gadkari said all those involved should be punished. The CBI should take action against the guilty and instil some credibility in the minds of people. If this was not done then Mr. Kalmadi's arrest would be an eye wash.

He said, “The inquiry is restricted to the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (OC) and its budget of Rs. 1250 crore. What about the misuse and corruption of Rs. 76,000 crore that was spent on the Games? If the Prime Minister has the courage, he should take strict action against all those involved and launch a full inquiry into misappropriation of funds by Ministers and even Chief Ministers.”

Mr. Gadkari said he did not have much faith in the CBI inquiry. Only Mr. Kalmadi can reveal the names of others involved in the scam.

Referring to Gujarat police officer Sanjiv Bhatt's affidavit against Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Mr. Gadkari said it was filed in the Supreme Court over eight years after the riots. These kinds of witnesses were being produced to target the BJP and Mr. Modi. There were 2000 encounters in the country, but in Gujarat they were being probed due to the vindictive politics of the Congress.

The Congress was misusing its power and since it was in a precarious condition in Gujarat and not capable of winning elections, it was targeting Mr. Modi. Those close to Congress president Sonia Gandhi were engaged in “vindictive politics.” The Congress would pay for this, he alleged.

Mr. Gadkari denied that BJP's Piyush Goel had any direct or indirect involvement with DB Realty. He said Mr. Goel was a professional and a chartered accountant.