If my leaders dont want me, I will quit: Kalmadi

New Delhi, Aug 6 (PTI) Commonwealth Games Organising
Committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi Friday ruled out
stepping down in the wake of corruption allegations but said
he would quit if asked to by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh or United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Chairperson Sonia
Gandhi.
He said his first priority was to make a success of the
Games and "will not run away from responsibility" but would
quit after the event if anything was found against him.
"If my leaders and IOA don't want me there, then I am
ready to quit. If there is something so big that I have done
wrong. But I tell you there is no wrong. Let the inquiry
report come out. There is nothing to be ashamed of," Kalmadi
told 'Times Now'.
He was asked if he would step down now in the wake of a
spate of allegations of corruption in giving contracts and
Kalmadi said instead of stepping aside, he would take action
against those who are found guilty.
"If some action is (found to be) wrong, then definitely I
will not spare anyone who is responsible for it...There is no
charge against me, it is against somebody else," he said.
Quizzed about the 'doctored' e-mails from the Indian High
Commission he made public to justify payments worth lakhs of
pounds to a UK-based company for services provided during the
Queen's Baton Relay in London, Kalmadi said he did not know
whether the mails were authentic.
Organising Committee's Joint Director General T S
Darbari, who oversaw the QBR's London leg, was suspended after
the furore and the IOA chief said there is a possibility that
he was misled by his close aide.
A three-member probe panel is currently investigating
the matter after the Ministry of External Affairs revealed
that the e-mails were 'doctored' to add the UK-based A M Films
name as a recommened company for car rentals and other
services.
"I asked Darbari to show me the e-mails and he showed me
those e-mails. It could be that I was misled. I am not a
technocrat to know if they were genuine. The (probe) committee
will look into all this and tell," he said. More PTI