Too much Mani continues to be wasted on the Games

His diatribe against the Commonwealth Games going largely unheard,senior Congress leader and MP Mani Shankar Aiyar...

His diatribe against the Commonwealth Games going largely unheard,senior Congress leader and MP Mani Shankar Aiyar today struck a more provocative note saying he would be unhappy if the Games are a success and that those organising it are evil.

I am delighted in a way because rains are causing difficulties for the Commonwealth Games. Basically,I will be very unhappy if the Games are successful because then they will start bringing Asian Games,Olympic Games, he said. And added: Those who are patronising the Games can only be evil. They cannot be God.

This drew a sharp reaction from IOA chief and Commonwealth Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi who said that it was good that Aiyar wasnt the Sports Minister.

Within hours at the inauguration of Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium,Kalmadi hit back. Mr Mani Shankar Aiyar,nobody can stop the Commonwealth games. Moreover,if Aiyar was Sports Minister,these stadia wouldnt have been in place, Kalmadi said.

Incidentally,the Indian Olympic Association has already sent a proposal to the Sports Ministry seeking permission to bid for Asian Games.

For a change,Sports Minister M S Gill,Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit were united with Kalmadi. A puddle here or a leakage there does not mean that the Games will not happen. We are aware of all these things and nothing will be left for chance, Dikshit said. She added that until a few months ago,the condition of the stadiums was such that authorities were worried. What has happened is next to a miracle, she said.

Thousands of crores are being spent on circuses like these while the common children are being deprived of basic facilities to play, said Aiyar.

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As Sports Minister,a portfolio he was divested of in 2008,Aiyar had questioned the rationale of spending on Commonwealth Games.

There was unease in the Congress over Aiyars comments. Its barely two months away. It is now the prestige of the nation. There is a difference between an opinion for which there are forums and an outburst, said a senior Congress leader disapproving of Aiyars remarks.

The party was guarded. He is a nominated Member of Parliament and the party invariably refrains from addressing itself to personal opinion, said AICC spokesman Manish Tewari. Reacting to Aiyars comment,Congress MP Sandeep Dikshit said,I dont take him seriously.