(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Deputy opposition leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan rattled the government by threatening to boycott the mega sporting event.
Trivandrum: Charges of corruption have cast a cloud over the 35th National Games to be held in the southern Indian state of Kerala from January 31 to February 14.
Specific allegations have been made with regard to selection of the event management firm under the leading Malayalam daily for conducting the mass run as a campaign for the Games. The opposition said it was only tip of the ice berg and the entire game was steeped in corruption.
Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan alleged that the event was heading towards a ‘Commonwealth Games model’ corruption. He said that both Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Sports Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan had turned Suresh Kalmadi who was held responsible for the massive corruption in the Commonwealth Games.
Deputy opposition leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan rattled the government by threatening to boycott the mega sporting event. A section of the media has already been boycotting all events related to the games. They too have alleged irregularities in the award of contract worth Rs106 million to the event management firm a sister company of the Malayala Manorama daily for promoting the mass run billed as ‘Run Kerala Run’.
The absence of Games Commissioner Jacob Punnoose at the countdown ceremony held at Trivandrum on Thursday strengthened the allegations. A section of the media alleged that he had kept off the function as he was upset with the corruption. However he later clarified that he could not attend the function as he was sick and bed-ridden.
The Sports Minister has termed the controversy highly unfortunate. Talking to reporters on Saturday he said that the government had selected the firm through an open bid. He claimed that the government was doing everything related to the games in a transparent manner.
Radhakrishnan said that the government had not received any complaint from anyone regarding the conduct of the game till today. He said that he would review the situation with the officials on Tuesday and make things more clear.
Referring to the opposition’s attempt to compare the game with Commonwealth Games the minister said there was no comparison between the two as the total budget for the national games was only Rs.6.11 billion as against Rs.54 billion for the latter.
He point out that the organising committee has been trying to keep the expenses within the budget which was passed in 2009. He said that the attempt of the Kerala government was to make the 35th National Games the most cost effective in the country.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has also strongly refuted the allegations of corruption in the conduct of the games. He said that he was ready to talk to anybody and remove their apprehensions on every aspect of the National Games.
“This event is going to be one that is going to give Kerala a huge boost and to create a controversy for no reason is very unfortunate. If anyone has any complaint they may give in writing on which immediate action will be taken” Chandy told reporters at Cochin on Saturday.
newskhaleejtimes.com
For more news from Khaleej Times follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes and on Twitter at khaleejtimes
Follow khaleejtimes ->
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.