The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday demanded resignation of Ministers facing allegations of wrong-doing in Commonwealth Games projects from authorities involved in the preparations for the mega event, saying their continuance in office would hamper probe.
The demand from the main opposition party comes in the wake of revelations by Prasar Bharti CEO B.S. Lalli that payments to SIS Live, a U.K.-based company, which was given rights to cover CWG 2010, were done with the consent of Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni.
“Since, information is now coming from people involved in the CWG preparations BJP demands that all those Ministers named by one of their own people should better be resigning as only then there is a possibility of fair investigations,” party spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said.
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She expressed apprehension that if these Ministers continued in office, they might influence the investigations.
“If they continue in office, I don’t think fair investigations can be carried out. So, morally Ambika Soni, Urban Development Minister S. Jaipal Reddy, Sports Minister M.S. Gill and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit should resign to allow fair investigations,” Ms. Sitharaman said.
The BJP spokesperson insisted that since charges against these four leaders were levelled by authorities or other leaders themselves, it was “not any longer tenable for these ministers to continue in their positions”.
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CWG Organising Committee chairperson Suresh Kalmadi had alleged that before accusing him of corruption, Ms. Dikshit should look at her own people. Similarly, the role of the Urban Development Ministry in the Games preparations had come under a cloud.
“BJP is naming these four as they have all named each other and by insiders who were involved in decision making,” Ms. Sitharaman said.
She said it was being thought that nothing more will come out on the CWG but now “more skeletons are tumbling out”.
“With Mr. Lalli specifically naming Ambika Soni, the net is getting wider by the day. BJP reiterates its demands that a Joint Parliamentary Committee should go into the whole matter. There are too many Ministries — I&B, Sports, Urban Development — are getting into the picture one by one,” she said.