Thursday, August 5, 2010

The buck stops here

CWG fallout: Gill rules out Asian Games bid
 Headlines Today
The state of under-preparedness for the 2010 Commonwealth Games (CWG) and the allegations of corruption have made India's proposed Asian Games bid a casualty.
Union Sports Minister M.S. Gill told Rajya Sabha on Thursday that the country will not bid for the 2019 Asian Games.
In his statement on the CWG, Gill sidestepped uncomfortable queries from the Opposition and urged everyone to work towards making the October event a success.
The minister did not reveal how much money had been spent so far on the Games. When the Opposition pressed for an inquiry committee to probe the charges of corruption, he termed the setting up of committees as futile.
"Committees achieve nothing. India has had too many committees. Whenever something happens, we have a high-powered committee," Gill said.
"Time is running out. Proposals to make changes won't work. We have to finish the (CWG) work now. May God be with me," he said.
Gill said the main stadium for the Games was ready. He even defended embattled CWG Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi.
Members of the Opposition and his own government relentlessly gunned for the minister during his statement. Among them was Congress MP Mani Shankar Aiyar, a vocal critic of the CWG.

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