BJP CANDLE LIGHT MARCH AGAINST CWG CORRUPTION

Sept 2010

BJP'S CANDLE LIGHT MARCH AGAINST GAMES CORRUPTION

From Our Delhi Bureau

NEW DELHI: The Bhartiya Janata Party Saturday night held a candle light march in the walled city to register protest over the "national shame" brought to India by the Commonwealth Games organisers with rampant corruption and shoddy arrangements for the teams arriving for the mega event that begins here on October 3.

Large number of residents poured out to join the march as they felt credence in the BJP leaders pointing out how the governments spent thousands of crores for the games while neglecting the historic Chandni Chowk and Jama Masjid of the heritage Walled City.


Former Union Minister Vijay Goel, who led the march with BJP MP and spokesman Prakash Javadekar, told those gathered that when over Rs 85,000 crores have been spent on the Games by conservative estimates, "it pains that the Central and State Governments have not bothered to spend any money in this historic area that has the potential to attract a large number of tourists."

Thousands of crores of rupees have been spent in the name of sprucing up Connaught Place and other parts of Lutyens’ Delhi and other areas, but the Walled City has been given step-motherly treatment, he affirmed while pointing out that even the promised money for development of the old Delhi was not released.

Noted heritage lover Firoz Bakht and Vastu architect Ratish Nanda joined the march, pointing out that there are 90 havelis, 492 temples, 387 mosques and many historical libraries in the area that could have been spruced up as part of the Games preparations.

Javadekar said the very intervention of the Prime Minister to maintain deadlines of the preparatory works is shameful as it proves beyond doubt that everything has gone topsy-turvy. "It is a matter of great concern that the Prime Minister has woken up so late to put the things right for CWG and that too only after international agencies and foreign delegates cried foul," he affirmed.

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