BJP warns India faces games humiliation
By James Lamont in New Delhi and Roger Blitz in London
Published: September 22 2010 18:38 | Last updated: September 22 2010 18:38
Indias Hindu nationalist opposition has strongly attacked the Congress-party led government for putting the countrys global standing in jeopardy by failing to rescue ramshackle preparations for the Commonwealth Games.
As some national teams delayed their arrival in Delhi after a walkway collapse and accusations flew surrounding filthy conditions in the athletes village, the Bharatiya Janata party pointed to the disarray surrounding the games as evidence of the governments weak leadership.
Venkaiah Naidu, a BJP leader, told reporters on Wednesday that the government was close to causing humiliation for India. National prestige was involved but the government is unmoved, he said.
Mr Naidu appealed for Manmohan Singh, the prime minister, to reassure the international community that the Delhi games would be a success and stem the number of top athletes deserting the championship. Please do not put the nation to shame by your casual and careless approach, he implored.
Some political analysts said embarrassment over the games could be damaging to Mr Singh at a time when his government was being criticised for inertia and struggling to quell violence in Kashmir, India's northernmost state.
The games were in the balance on Wednesday night after several teams said they were reviewing their preparations in light of mounting health and safety concerns. A number of countries are setting up training camps in nations such as Qatar and Malaysia and plan to ferry their athletes to India from there.
Englands swimming team flew to Doha, the Qatari capital, on Wednesday. The Australian team is using Kuala Lumpur as its pre-games base.
With the opening ceremony for the event scheduled for October 3, team officials and the Commonwealth Games Federation have castigated organisers over the condition of the accommodation, expected to house 8,000 athletes and officials. Scotlands team officials are delaying the departure of their athletes, while Wales has set a deadline of Wednesday evening for organisers to provide safety guarantees.
Mike Fennell, president of the Commonwealth Games Federation, is due in New Delhi today to discuss final preparations with Mr Singh. Sir Andrew Foster, chairman of Commonwealth Games England, told the BBC that the next 48 hours would decide whether the big teams attended the games.
Indias preparations have been hit by allegations of corruption, mismanagement and an absence of leadership.
The latest woes have persuaded some top athletes to withdraw from the games. Dani Samuels, Australias world champion discus thrower, said she had decided to miss the games as she feared for her life should she visit Delhi.
Indian officials were insisting that it was too early to pass judgment on what was intended to be a showcase event.
Why are we all concluding that the games are a failure even before they have started?" asked Sheila Dikshit, Delhis chief minister.
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