It is often said that India and China are rivals both in terms of economic power and soft power. While India has shown an impressive growth rate of 8.2 % per annum, its political class is under the delusion that it can rival China in organizational ability and projection of image. If China can host the Olympics and make a spectacular spectacle before the wohle world, India can host the Commonweath Games and earn some brownie points. Unlike Chinma, India does not have a political system that can deliver any large term goals. The entire political system, particularly the Congress Party, is mired in crime and corruption and India unlike China is rightly termed a "soft power" one incapbale of bringing to conclusion any goal in a concerted and efficient manner.
The Olympic games in China were so well handled that nearly 3 months before the games were to begin all the venues and facilities were ready and the world was just awe struck at the majetic and impressive display of soft power the China put on. Now contrast this with India. The Indian way of doing things is to create a multiplicity of offices and agencies to do the same job and the power and responsibility is both diluted and this permits largescale fraud and kickbacks. Suresh Kalmadi a politician from the ruling Congress Party was put in charge of the Common Weath Games and a huge sum of money nearly 880 million US $ was put at his disposal. Unfortunately this man let his political masters down very badly and of course, he will not be punished because all his masters are in on the take.
The games village and othehjr veues have an unfihished look about them and they are certainly not of the standard expected of a country hoping to claim the 21st century as its own. Apart from corruption the absolute lack of any kind of class was evident the other day when one Bhanot who glories in the title Secretary General of the Comman Wealth Games gave a most banal press statement in which instead of showing remorse for the shoddy job doen he only justified it. The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh cannot avoid taking the responsibility because the mess in th organisation of the CWG was known all along and he showed a deplorable lack of leadership and his Sports Minister was only busy strutting on the stage instead of ensuring the job was done.
The bulidings in which the atheletes would stay are in such a shabby state that many teams are now pulling out of the games, Austrlia, New Zealand and Canada have all expressed serious concern over the seculrity situation in New Delhi.
It would have been better if the Government of India had chosen some othe city as the venue for the games at least there would have been less political intervention from the Copngress Party. India is now shamed before the whole world and any talk of being a rival to great China is just that, cheap talk. India cannot compete with China, and should redefine its priorities.