Calcutta: Union sports minister Mani Shankar Aiyar said on Sunday that he was open to a dialogue with the sports federations despite their representatives rejecting the proposed Comprehensive Sports Policy.

The meeting, chaired by Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Suresh Kalmadi in New Delhi on Saturday, also opposed the proposed regulatory authority for sports in the country. According to Kalmadi, it would threaten the autonomy of the sports federations.

“I am still wanting a dialogue and not a monologue… My doors are open to them despite the rudeness shown in not turning up for the proposed meeting. There can’t be any progress until we meet,” Aiyar said at the closing ceremony of the 57th State Athletic Championships.