Bhopal:
Former Hockey Olympian Aslam Sher Khan on Wednesday called for boycott of the Commonwealth Games as he feels the event is a "colossal waste" for a country like India.
"I have been told that Rs 28,000 crore have been spent on the games and I feel that this was a colossal waste and nothing else," Aslam told reporters on the day the Queen's Baton for the Games was to arrive in Madhya Pradesh.
He said that if this money was spent on development of sports in the country, India might well have bagged 28 gold medals in the Olympics.
Aslam, who is now a Congress leader, said the government should have dismissed the present organising committee which is holding the games and entrusted the task to people with integrity.
He said that many sports personalities including Bishen Singh Bedi had criticised the Games on the ground that they were not required and observed that the government is possibly going ahead with the event only to fulfil its commitment.
The former hockey Olympian also strongly criticised Union Sports Minister M S Gill for asking wrestling coach Satpal to step aside at a photo session with World Championship gold-medallist medal winner Sushil Kumar in New Delhi.
"May be Gill wanted to show to the world that he was to be credited for the medal won by Sushil Kumar and Satpal had nothing to do with it," Aslam said.