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Union Sports minister Ajay Maken will not be going to Rachi to take part in the closing ceremony of the National Games.
"No, I am not going to Ranchi," said Maken, who was invited by the Jharkhand Olympic Association to distribute the prizes.
R K Anand, president of the Jharkhand Olympic Association, and senior officials of the Indian Olympic Association, refused to say anything about reports that President of India Mrs Pratibha Devisingh Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh declined to participate in the official functions of the Games because of the presence of IOA chief Suresh Kalmadi, who is being probed for his alleged involvement in irregularities related to the Commonwealth Games, which Delhi hosted last year.
"I am sorry. I would not like to say anything on the subject," Anand told rediff.com over phone from Ranchi.
He was peeved at news reports attributed to him -- that the head of the state and prime minister declined to attend the Games because of Kalmadi.
'It is unfortunate; first the President (who was supposed to declare the National Games open) and Prime Minister, who was to preside over the closing ceremony, and now even the sports minister will not come for the Games. I cannot answer for Kalmadi, but he should have made the right decision,' Anand was quoted by the journalists covering the Games.
"I do not know who spread the word around that Prime Minister Dr Singh was supposed to attend the closing ceremony. With the Union budget to be presented on Monday morning the Prime Minister is awfully busy looking into far more important things. If Dr Singh was going to Patna we would have said so to the media," a top ranking public relations officer in the government said.