Shocked by Maken's comments: Kalmadi

Sacked Commonwealth Games (CWG) Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi on Saturday said he was shocked by the reactions made by Union Sports Minister Ajay Maken after a Delhi court on Friday gave him the permission to attend the upcoming London Olympics.

Kalmadi also urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to ask for Maken´s resignation.

"I was quite shocked and dismayed to read Ajay Maken´s reaction to the honorable court´s decision to grant me permission to visit London for the forthcoming Olympic Games," Kalmadi said while addressing a press conference on Saturday.

"In view of Maken going against the court decision, which is quite unbecoming of a Sports Minister, I request our Prime Minister to ask for Maken´s resignation for making such comments and statements," he said.

"Maken threatening Indian Olympic Association (IOA) that he would try to ensure that I was not part of the Indian delegation, shows lack of knowledge about the functioning of autonomous sports bodies," Kalmadi said.

"I am attending the IAF meeting coinciding with the London Olympics as a Council Member of the International Association of Athletic Federation (IAAF) and president of Asian Athletic Association," he said.

Kalmadi said: "I don´t need any support from the Sports Ministry."

"Therefore, the union sports minister´s charges that my participation in Olympics will kill the basic spirit of Olympics, shows Mr Maken´s total disregard to the spirit of the games," he said.

Kalmadi was granted permission on Friday by a Delhi court to attend the upcoming London Olympics.

The court granted Kalmadi, who is an accused in the corruption cases connected to the CWG, permission to visit the major sporting event from July 26 to August 13.

Kalmadi on Thursday moved the court seeking permission to attend the event.

In his plea to special CBI judge Talwant Singh, Kalmadi said he wants permission to visit United Kingdom to attend Olympics as he is a member of International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) Council.

Reacting to the directions given by the court, Maken told a national news channel: "Kalmadi does not deserve to attend the Olympics."

"Olympics is abt ethics & morality. Person charged with Corruption will not be part of Indian team.Wld also convince those who have invited," Maken tweeted.

Kalmadi was the CWG Organizing Committee chief but was later sacked due to allegations of financial irregularities and poor organization of the Games.

He was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on charges of awarding illegal contracts to a Swiss firm for Timing-Scoring-Result (TSR) system for the 2010 Commonwealth Games causing a loss of Rs 95 crore to the exchequer.