Pune:
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, on Sunday, refused to shake hands with Congress MP Suresh Kalmadi, who is accused of corruption during his high-profile term as the head of the committee that organised the Commonwealth Games in India in 2010.
The incident occurred at a book release function in Pune that both Mr Modi, who is from the BJP, and Mr Kalmadi attended. When Mr Kalmadi, who is the MP from Pune, offered to shake hands with the Mr Modi, the latter didn't obliged, offering a
namaste instead.
Mr Kalmadi, who was released from the Tihar Jail in Delhi in January this year after spending almost nine months there, has been making frequent public appearances, including in the Parliament.
Apart from snubbing Mr Kalmadi, Mr Modi also took a dig at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. "I received an sms that said PM has received an Oscar...I checked up what it was and came to know that he got the Oscar for acting as PM," Mr Modi said at the function.
The BJP has constantly attacked the PM for being "weak" and being unable to take tough decisions. It has also alleged that the PM, in reality, does not call the shots in the government.