New Delhi:
India has rejected what was seen as the compromise formula for the 2010 Games. Suresh Kalmadi has said he will not accept an independent panel of experts to monitor Delhi's progress for the Games. Kalmadi is Chairman of the Organizing Committee for next year's Games.
On Monday, a new committee that would review India's preparations every month was suggested by Mike Fennel, the President of the Commonwealth Games Federation. The Big Brother panel was seen as a thinly-veiled indictment.
Fennel has written directly to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking for his help with the Games. Fennell and other delegates visited several of the venues for the Games in Delhi last week. Construction at most venues are running behind schedule.
Kalmadi has struck back on Thursday by counter-attacking the international organizers. He has requested that Mike Hooper be sent back to London. Hooper is the Chief Executive Officer of the Commonwealth Games Federation.
In a direct attack, Kalmadi said Hooper has "not proved beneficial to the organizing committee of the Games...he has been of no use. We've asked that he be sent back to London, and we'd like a replacement".
Hooper's response to NDTV: "This is the time to work together, Kalmadi should learn to work together, not make personal issues...the suggestion that I am an impediment is nonsense. I thought I was doing well."
The politics of organizing the Games could soon overshadow the real task at hand: getting Delhi ready on time, and without rushing through safety checks.