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Congress party on Tuesday opted to distance itself from Organising Committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi, following the spiralling controversy over allegations of corruption regarding the 2010 Commonwealth Games. During the AICC briefing, Congress spokesman Shakeel Ahmed today said: "Suresh Kalmadi is there not as a Congress representative but as the Chairman of the Indian Olympic Association... serious charges have been levelled against the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee....As a Chairman of the committee, he will reply to them." Kalmadi is a Congress member of Lok Sabha from Pune. Ahmed also categorically said that if something wrong has happened, law will take its own course. The Congress party, however, has given a clean chit to Union Ministers S Jaipal Reddy, M S Gill and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit in the controversy. As Ahmed said that the integrity of the two Union ministers Reddy and Gill, who are looking after the Games-related works, is beyond any doubt while the Delhi Chief Minister "is also of very impeccable integrity". But Ahmed said: "I am not defending Kalmadi. He is not there as a Congress representative... Who am I to give a clean chit to Kalmadi." When asked about the allegations of materials being purchased for the Games at exorbitant rates, Ahmed said: "Of course the price mentioned by you makes it seem unrealistic, but it is for the Organising Committee to explain these things."

Congress distances itself from Kalmadi; clean chit to Dikshit, Gill, Reddy