Hobson's Choice - Suresh Kalmadi

India today, has been pushed and shoved into a state of obsessive apprehension regarding the successful and incident free conduct of the Delhi Commonwealth Games from 03 to 14 Oct 2010. Notwithstanding the criticality of time and preparedness of the sporting venues, which generate a palpable degree of genuine circumspection regarding our ability to deliver, the centre of gravity of these Multi Sports Games will shift to the Games Technical Conduct Committee, nearer time. Suresh Kalmadi, is aware of this and has prepared in detail for the past five or so years, to operationalize the 13 venues in which the 17 sports disciplines will be held and played. International experts and professionals suitably assisted by subordinate office bearers comprising the National Olympic Committee’s (IOA) coterie of sports aficionados, have been employed for the past two/three years to prepare for the actual conduct of the Games. It is a given that the Games will be remembered for their conduct than all else, and should the Indian contingent better their medals tally of 50 in the previous edition, the monkey of corruption, mismanagement and poor leadership will be off Kalmadi’s back. Suresh knows this only too well, and has kept this  ace up his sleeves to get the proverbial pat on his back from the Prime Minister. Madam Sonia Gandhi would have pre empted the opposition’s demand of punitive action against the guilty, in the name of phony patriotism. Michael Fennel and Mike Hooper of the Commonwealth Games Federation will parrot the same sentiment only to get the cross off their backs and heave a sigh of relief. India will have crossed the bridge but at an astronomical financial cost, which could have been better utilized for much else by a country struggling with poverty, drought, floods et al.

The Government’s decision to depute bureaucrats to oversee the completion of work in the unfinished stadias, is a fire fight action to keep the media and the opposition on hold. The interim period leading to the Games will continue to be manipulated and punctuated by the patriotic exhortations of the Congress Party. This is quite similar to the incongruous “either you are with us or else against us” utterance. Issues as have been raised in the run up to the Games and echoed by most conscious and sensitive institutions/people, have all been deflected and ducked under lies and various subterfuges by the Organising Committee and blatantly supported by the Government Of India. It requires great character on the part of the Country’s Leadership to act in a morally courageous and up front manner, to strip of authority all those who are perceived to be the beneficiaries of the numerous scams related to the CWG. It is visibly apparent that the crisis in the build up to the  Games has been manufactured by the Organising Committee, only to hold the Government to ransom and dilute the meaning and purpose of patriotism. Suresh Kalmadi  is well informed about the Government’s compulsions and is fingering his dyed beard with a sense of utmost glee. In the absence of an ethically oriented system of governance, Suresh is therefore the Government’s ‘Hobson’s Choice’ as the Chairman of the Organising Committee, Commonwealth Games.

Brigadier(retd) Sarvesh Dutt Dangwal, VSM

Ex Secretary and Chairman Army Sports Control Board and Games Technical Conduct Committee, MWG 2007