India arrests ex-games chief; telecoms case widens

NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – Indian police arrested the  former chief organiser of the Delhi Commonwealth Games on Monday  as part of a crackdown on corruption, embarrassing the  government as it fights major state polls.
Suresh Kalmadi, also a senior lawmaker from the ruling  Congress Party, was sacked in November after games organisers  were accused of manipulating contracts and inflating bills in an  event which was meant to showcase India’s rise as a global power  but was instead beset by problems.
Hours after his arrest yesterday, Kalmadi was suspended from  the Congress Party, a party spokesman told Reuters.
In a separate case, the daughter of a key ally in Prime  Minister Manmohan Singh’s government was among those charged on  Monday with taking bribes in a multi-billion dollar telecoms  licensing scandal, which may strain the coalition and weaken its  chances at the ballot box.
Kalmadi’s arrest puts under renewed scrutiny the $6 billion  sporting event last October which became embroiled in rows over  leaking stadiums, filthy athletes’ accommodation and inflated  tenders for equipment including treadmills and toilet paper.
He was booed during the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony,  which was broadcast around the world.
“This is an embarrassment for Congress. They have been  trying to avert it for as long as possible, and now they will  try to confine the damage to Kalmadi, who now seems to be seen  as dispensable,” former magazine editor Swapan Dasgupta said.