Commonwealth Games in India expected to be a national embarrassment: BJP
Hardly anything it seems can escape controversy in the subcontinent, especially when it comes to politics and sports. Just after a day of receiving a thumbs-up from a United Kingdom-based delegation, organizers of the Commonwealth Games were in for a new spate of controversies. The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took a swipe at India’s federal government for its inadequacies in meeting the deadlines. The Commonwealth Games are to begin on the October 3, 2010.
Former Sports Minister Mani Shankar Ayier claimed that the Games would be a farce as the preparations were anything but adequate for the biggest sporting spectacle in the country since the 1982 Asian Games.
The BJP asserted that the government ought to reassess the situation before it becomes a national embarrassment for the country.
The Indian media claims that Ayier, who is a senior leader of the ruling Congress party, believes that the Games will fail to deliver as compared to what is expected of them.
The Congressman has struggled to keep his displeasure in check and many in the government have made full use of the tiff between him and Kalmadi, who is a former Air Force officer-turned politician.
A group of politicians have taken a swipe at the federal government for its inadequacies to meet construction deadlines.
A spokesman of the BJP claims that despite the thumbs-up from a UK-based delegation, nothing with regards to the Games was a surety, and a lot of work still needed to be done.
"All the stadia in London for the Olympic Games of 2012 are already complete. Athletes are even practicing there for the games. Unfortunately this is not the situation in our country. As our country is hosting it (Commonwealth Games), everyone wants it to be a success," said the spokesman.
On the other hand, Ajay Maken, another member of the government thinks that the infrastructure put in place for the Games was world class and the people of Delhi as well as the entire country should be proud of the efforts of the organizing committee.
"Commonwealth Games have helped Delhi in a big way. It is not only the games as such. Lot of money is being spent on the infrastructure as well. Look at the metro, look at the flyovers, and look at the development, which is being carried out in Delhi." said Ajay Maken.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister David Cameron visited one of the venues for the Commonwealth Games at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium on Friday.
Cameron inspected the facilities at the stadium, besides interacting with young children who were present over there to greet him.
The British premier played cricket with the locals who had a memorable time with the jovial leader.
There were some guests who had gathered to escort the premier, including India’s Olympian hockey player Milkha Singh and former cricket captain and one of the legends of cricket, Kapil Dev.
Members of the Indian government and organisers of the Commonwealth extravaganza, Sports Minister M S Gill and Suresh Kalmadi, accompanied the British Prime Minister to the stadium.
The Dhyan Chand Stadium also hosted the hockey World Cup held in March this year that was won by the Australians for the second time in their history.
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