Mani Shankar Aiyar mum on Commonwealth Games - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar on Thursday pledged that he will not speak about the Commonwealth Games for the moment, but after October 15. Taking to reporters here, Aiyar said: "I have promised that I will keep my mouth shut because somebody asked me to do so as they will successfully organise Commonwealth Games. So, I will speak about it after the events get over. Taking a dig at Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi for calling him 'anti-national', Aiyar said: "Whoever has said this, his talks are a matter of jest." Earlier, Aiyar said: " I will be unhappy if the games were successful because then they'll start bringing in the Asian Games and the Olympic games and all this. We should be concentrating on making ours a sporting nation. "If we had put 35,000 crores into providing games facility for 90 percent of our children who have no games facilities no access to them. Tomorrow we'd be winning all the medals in the world. But so long as you go on spending thousands of crores on circuses like this and totally ignore the 'aam bachcha' (common child), there is no hope," he added. India is expecting huge inflow of tourists in New Delhi for the Games, as well as about 10,000 athletes from 71 teams representing 54 Commonwealth member states.