Suresh Kalmadi returns to Pune, in style

When suspended Congress MP Suresh Kalmadi, who was recently released from Tihar jail and was chargesheeted in the Queen’s Baton Relay case on Thursday, returned to Pune from Delhi, his arrival was an eye-catcher.

Immediately after landing in Pune, Kalmadi rushed to Sassoon Hospital to meet the victims of killer MSRTC bus driver Santosh Mane. However, he met only one patient at the hospital.

Over 1,000 supporters of Kalmadi thronged the Lohegaon airport since 4 pm with garlands and dhol-tasha bands raising slogans like “Sabse bada khiladi Sureshbhai Kalmadi’ and ‘Sureshbhai Kalmadi tum aage badho, hum tumhare saath hain’. They even burst firecrackers the moment the airplane carrying their leader landed at the Lohegaon airport around 6.10 pm.

When Kalmadi stepped out of the terminal building a few moments later, he was flanked by his supporters including former Maharashtra minister of state for home Ramesh Bagwe and corporator Deepak Mankar. Instead of getting out of the terminal building using the departure gate, Kalmadi used a side gate.

Such was the mad rush of his supporters to welcome him with garlands and bouquets that a mini stampede ensued and it took nearly 25 minutes for the MP to reach the open-hood Grand Vitara car, parked just a few paces away from the terminal building, brought specially to bring him to the city. Kalmadi was seen waving hand to his supporters as he left the airport.

A few moments later, Kalmadi reached Sassoon General Hospital with his entourage of over 30-40 people in vehicles. Before Kalmadi reached the hospital, the police personnel had cleared the hospital corridors. Kalmadi went straight to ward number three on the ground floor where Prafulla Nayar, a youth injured in the recent ghastly mishap involving killer MSRTC bus driver Santosh Mane, is recuperating.

Kalmadi spent over five minutes with Nayar at the hospital. When he was told that Nayar was preparing for the Navy entrance examination and could not appear for it due to the injuries he suffered in the mishap, the MP assured Nayar that he would talk to the authorities when he returns to Delhi. The show of strength by Kalmadi's supporters raised many eyebrows.