BJP protests against dementia-diagnosed Congress leader for sending development plans from jail, demands his resignation

Suresh Kalmadi's alleged dementia may have left him in a state of forgetfulness, but the BJP is in no mood to forgive or forget. News that Tihar-consigned Kalmadi is now proposing projects worth Rs 2.3 crore for development works in his constituency has so riled the Opposition that they chose to make their displeasure known by staging an agitation at the Khanduji Baba Chowk. Not limiting their scorn to Kalmadi, the over 200 BJP party workers also demanded the Prime Minister's resignation for the alleged 2G spectrum scam.u00a0


Hue and cry: Over 200 BJP workers stage protest at Khanduji Baba
Chowk yesterday demanding Kalmadi's resignation. Pic/krunal gosavi

Yogesh Gogawale, a senior BJP leader, said that the way Kalmadi had fooled the citizens beyond the tolerance level. "If he has been diagnosed with dementia, then how can he lead the city and work for the citizens. It was funny to read the news about his sending proposals from Tihar Jail to the Pune District Collector office about spending money from his MP funds," he said. "It is high time the city MP resigns."

Other party members present at the protest were Sandeep Khardekar, Mukta Tilak, and Santosh Rajguru.
Earlier, MiD DAY highlighted the lowly amount spent by Kalmadi from his MP fund on development works in the district. MiD DAY also compared it to amount spent by other MPs for their constituency. It was alleged that the city MP had spent only 20 per cent of his MP fund, though his acolytes claimed he had spent more. Officials at the district planning office in-charge of the MP funds were also not sure how much money Kalmadi had actually spent on development projects in the city, though his recommendation of projects were approved.

Kalmadi faxed the first set of proposals from Tihar Jail to the Collectorate on July 18. Earliers, Vinod Surve, Kalmadi's secretary, said he signed the proposals on July 13. Surve said that as there was an increase in the rise in the MP funds from Rs 2 crore to Rs 5 crore, Kalmadi was drawing up proposals worth Rs 2.95 crore.
u00a0Surve said that the proposals were ready and he would disclose the details of the expenditure heads after Kalmadi signed them.

"Kalmadi is finalising the details of the project and they shall be sent to the Pune District Collector's office for approval in the next two days.," said Surve, who is currently in Delhi. Surve said from the earlier fund of Rs 2 crore (for the year 2009-10), Rs 1.53 crore were spent on various projects so far.

What's dementia?
Dr Ulhas Luktuke, noted psychiatrist, said: "Dementia is a complicated disease which affects the memory in a complex manner. So it is difficult to predict if a decision made in the past was under the influence of dementia. It is also difficult to predict how much the personality may worsen."