New Delhi: The Congress Party on Sunday said Haryana Sports Minister Anil Vij’s visit to Brazil to attend the 2016 Rio Olympics post the controversy surrounding Union Sports Minister Vijay Goel will add ‘insult to injury’ and cornered the government for maintaining silence on the issue.
“The country wonders what accountability there is, what are the purpose, point, object, any direct or indirect benefit of suddenly going in the middle of the Olympics for non-sports person, administrators, politicians. A grave and big question mark arises,” Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi told ANI here.
“But this government is not bothered about accountability, they have not responded within Parliament and I doubt very much that they will respond outside Parliament be it at the state level or at the central level,” he added.
Vij has reached Brazil with a nine-member delegation to attend the 2016 Rio Olympics and cheer their home state athletes.
Vij’s delegation includes his private secretary, two BJP MLAs, a media adviser to the chief minister, the additional chief secretary (sports), KK Khandelwal, his private secretary, and the joint director for sports, OP Sharma.
The Union Sports Minister, who returned to New Delhi on the wee hours this morning, stated that he would clear the ‘misconceptions’ on the controversy surrounding him with solid facts.
“There are a lot of misconceptions regarding this issue right now which I will clear when the time is right. I will put my side of the story ahead with facts in due time. It’s 2 a.m. right now and I don’t think this is the time to speak on such things,” Goel said on his arrival in New Delhi.
The Rio Olympic Organising Committee, in a scathing letter to the India’s chef-de-mission, had threatened to cancel Goel’s accreditation for being ‘aggressive and rude’ and trying to bring other non-accredited people at the accredited areas of the Games venues.
Denying his involvement in any miff with the Summer Games organisers, the Sports Minister wrote on Twitter that there seems to be some misunderstanding.
“To my knowledge, we have been following all rules and regulations. We are committed to the spirit of Olympics and back our Indian players. There seems to be some misunderstanding as we have followed all protocols as advised by the organizers,” Goel tweeted.
The warning about Goel’s accreditation could be revoked reportedly came from Sarah Peterson, the continental manager for the Rio 2016 Organizing Committee. (ANI)