The sacked Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chairman, Mr Suresh Kalmadi, today demanded a JPC probe into all issues relating to the mega sporting event amid reports that CBI has tracked an email alleging that he got kickbacks.

In a statement on the eve of the start of the budget session of Parliament, an embattled Kalmadi said he would resign as Member of Parliament in case any proof of him having taken even a single rupee surfaces.

‘Malicious campaign'

Mr Kalmadi also said he was “deeply pained and constrained” at the “malicious campaign” going against him. “The stories going around are far from actual facts,” he said.

“Were the government to agree to constitution of a JPC into the 2G Spectrum issue it would only be fair a similar process of Joint Parliamentary Committee should go into the entire range of issues connected with preparations, executions and conduct of the Commonwealth Games. I am confident that this would enable the entire truth to emerge in the public domain,” said Mr Kalmadi.

E-mail revelation

According to reports, the CBI probing the corruption trail in the Commonwealth Games has tracked an email that, its officials say, is the first specific allegation of kickbacks paid to Mr Kalmadi.

The CBI has sent a request to the United Kingdom seeking details of financial dealing of London-based Ashish Patel, the owner of AM Films and AM Vans, who is named as an accused in Commonwealth Games corruption cases.

The agency has sent a Letters Rogatory to Britain, official sources said.

The sleuths have tracked an e-mail written by Mr Patel to Organising Committee treasurer M. Jaychandran which, they claim, confirms that kickbacks were paid to Mr Kalmadi.

Mr Patel's mail mentions details of money which was allegedly paid to Mr Kalmadi and says that the dues should be cleared as swiftly as possible to his companies whose services were used during Queen's Baton Relay.

Denial

“I can vouch that I have not gained financially even a single rupee out of these games and if proved otherwise I am prepared to step down as a Member of Parliament,” Mr Kalmadi said.

The IOA president, who is an MP from Pune, reiterated his oft-repeated claim that the OC budget was a very small amount of the total fund sanctioned for the Commonwealth Games.

“The OC budget for conducting the Games was just about 5 per cent of the total budget of CWG. In spite of this, I am the only one who have been singled out and targeted for investigations while the role of all other government agencies including Delhi Government and various other Central Government instrumental agencies connected with the decision making process, who have been associated with 95 per cent of the budget, have been completely overlooked,” Mr Kalmadi said.

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