Kalmadi visits Pune civic body, faces protest

Activists of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena staged a noisy protest in the premises of the Pune Municipal Corporation on Monday when the scam-tainted Congress leader and city MP Suresh Kalmadi visited the civic body headquarters.    

Kalmadi, accused in the Commonwealth Games scam, is currently out on bail.

The BJP and MNS workers waved black flags and tried to prevent Kalmadi from entering the building. But his supporters and police intervened to make way for him to enter through a side-gate. The municipal corporation is controlled by the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress.

Kalmadi's secretary said the MP was scheduled to open the sports committee office of the PMC, and later discuss local issues with Commissioner Mahesh Pathak.

A spokesman of the opposition parties said Kalmadi had lowered the prestige of Pune with his alleged involvement in the Commonwealth Games scam, and had no moral right to participate in the civic matters.