Shunglu report is self contradictory: Delhi CM

Under pressure over the severe indictment by the Shunglu Committee, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Tuesday said its finding was "self contradictory" and criticised the panel for lack of understanding on the city government's role in conduct of the Commonwealth Games.

Rejecting the findings of the prime minister-appointed probe panel, which indicted both Lt Governor Tejinder Khanna and her for alleged irregularities in certain Games projects, Dikshit also said she would be the first person to question herself if any wrongdoing had been committed by her.

"If there is an instance of corruption against me, I certainly would be the first person to question myself. It was not my duty to go to project sites at midnight or 2 or 3 in the morning. I did everything possible so that India's image is not affected," Dikshit told PTI in an interview, a day after she met Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. "

"I am not hurt by the Shunglu Committee report or anything like that but I do feel that there has been a lack of understanding about what we did," she said, calling the report "self contradictory".

"Broadly our observation is that some conclusions have been arrived at without adequate support of facts. Assumptions, presumptions have come. Secondly. the report contradicts itself. Show us a case of corruption. Just show us that this was a corrupt practice. We will take action." she said.

The Delhi CM, during a meeting with Dr Singh, conveyed to him that the findings of the panel are "unfair" and "inconsistent".

"We stepped in where we were asked to step in, not otherwise. I had not even seen what the Games Village looked like. If I was asked by Mr M S Gill (the then sports minister) to go to a particular stadium, I went there, happily went there. We did whatever we were asked to do," said Dikshit. "We are going to answer paragraph-by-paragraph to the report. What surprised us was the report had not even come to us but it was available in the public domain. When something comes on the public domain then you and I have a equal right to say what your understanding is and what our understanding is," she added.

Asked whether the Shunglu Committee ever sought her opinion before finalising the report, Dikshit said she did not know whether it had terms of reference to do that. "I don't know whether it had terms of referrence to do that. All that I know was that the Shunglu Committee perhaps asked many of our departments for papers," she said.

Criticising the findings, Dikshit quoting the report said, "In the beginning it says, the Delhi of 2003 would have served for the Commonwealth Games in 2010. So why was there all these wastes."

Asked about her meeting with the PM, Dikshit said it seemed the Prime Minister's Office understood the explanation given by her on the findings of the Shunglu panel. On whether she was disappointed with what has been happening following the Games, she said it is all part of life. "God has been kind to me. I am a very positive person. I look at the positive things," she added.

Queried about delays in projects that resulted in cost escalation, Dikshit blamed it on multiplicity of authorities and said the assembly election in 2008 had also delayed some projects. "You know reason for the delays There's the Archaeological Survey of India, the Delhi Urban Art Commission, Delhi Development Authority and then Central Public Works Department's requirements, International Olympic Committee's requirements. Most of the stadiums were made by the Sports Authority of India. If they had required a road to go to the project site, when we were told about it, we did it. And we went through an election in 2008, please remember that," the Delhi CM said.

Asked whether she would take action against any corrupt officials, she said action will follow only if corruption is proved. "What kind of action. We can take action if corruption is proved. Just because out of ten people in the room, eight are corrupt it does not mean you have to hang the two also," she said. 

The Shunglu Committee has found procedural violations by Delhi Lt Governor Tejinder Khanna and the CM for alleged inadequacies in executing projects related to Commonwealth Games held here in October last year. The committee, appointed by Dr Singh to probe charges of corruption in various projects related to the sporting extravaganza, has submitted two reports on alleged irregularities in executing contracts related to construction of the Games Village and city infrastructure projects.

It has estimated Rs 900 crore "cost of delay" by certain government departments in implementing infrastructure related projects and Rs 300 crore loss to DDA in construction of Commonwealth Games Village near Akshardham temple. The committee in its two reports -- construction of village and development of city infrastructure -- has pointed out several irregularities like delays, collusive bidding and haste decision on part of certain central and Delhi government officials which led to cost escalation and loss worth crores to the government exchequer.

During her meeting with the PM, Dikshit also gave a brief report to him about the city government's observation about the panel's findings and is also understood to have explained to him about the "collective feelings" of her cabinet which felt the "report is a kind of insinuation against the government".

Dikshit has also said that a detailed report is being prepared by her government in response to the Shunglu Committee's findings and it will be sent to the PMO soon. Top officials in the city government said all the departments which name figured in the Shunglu Committee report has been asked to submit individual reports on the observation of the high-level panel. Dikshit had on Monday submitted a brief report to the PM, broadly rejecting the findings of the Shunglu panel. The Bharatiya Janata Party has been mounting pressure on Dikshit, demanding her resignation following her "indictment" by the committee.