India arrests ex-games chief; telecoms case widens

NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – Indian police arrested the  former chief organiser of the Delhi Commonwealth Games yesterday  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 on Monday, 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.

Suresh Kalmadi

“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.
“I am sceptical they will be able to contain the damage.”

Singh’s government has been roiled by a series of corruption  scandals since the middle of last year that have stymied its  agenda for economic reform, and undermined business sentiment in  one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.

The scandals have sparked a wave of public anger against the  coalition government. A social activist, who threatened to fast  until death to press the government to pass tougher anti-graft  laws, drew support from thousands in a nationwide campaign.

Kalmadi was arrested “for conspiracy to show favour to a  private firm based in Switzerland in awarding the contract for  timing, scoring and results systems at inflated prices of 1.41  billion rupees ($31 million)“, said a spokesperson for the  Central Bureau of Investigation, Dharini Mishra.

Kalmadi  has denied any wrongdoing.

Kanimozhi, the daughter of the regional Dravida Munnetra  Kazhagam (DMK) party’s head and herself a lawmaker, was among  those charged with handling bribes along with several business  executives.

CHARGES IN TELECOMS INVESTIGATION

Police yesterday also filed charges against two more  executives from DB Realty, whose parent DB Group is the Indian  joint venture partner of the UAE’s Etisalat, and the managing  director of a south Indian television channel owned by the DMK  party.

Police had earlier charged three telecoms firms, a former  telecoms minister and six corporate executives with a range of  crimes in the licensing scandal that a state auditor said may  have deprived New Delhi of $39 billion in potential revenue.

The south India-based DMK party is a member of Singh’s  government, helping it maintain a slim majority in parliament.  The telecoms scandal could drain support for the state coalition  in the staggered election, results of which are due on May 13.

The DMK, which has denied any wrongdoing, has threatened to  pull ministers out of the government if members of the family  that heads the party were charged, according to media reports.