Willing to quit as Minister if charges proved: Gadkari

"If it is proved in any court of the world that I have done corruption worth even Rs 1, I am ready to quit not only from the ministership but also as an MP," he said responding to questions over the CAG report which has talked about irregularities in loan to <g data-gr-id="71">Purti</g> group linked to his family.

"No favour was done to us. There is no allegation of corruption against me in the CAG report. CAG report is being distorted and people are being misled for political opportunism," said Gadkari, who made the statement for the second time in as many days over the controversy after Congress members said they could not hear what he said yesterday.

Congress has been stalling Rajya Sabha for the last three days by demanding his resignation over the allegations.

The House was adjourned repeatedly on Tuesday also as Congress insisted on a probe into the findings of the CAG report. Denying any <g data-gr-id="77">wrong doing</g> by him or PSKL (<g data-gr-id="76">Purti</g> Sakhar Karkhana Ltd)," the Road Transport and Highways Minister told the Opposition members that he has "answers to all questions" and will respond as many times as they want.

"I am ready to answer as long as you ask. But if you want to do politics, then it is a different matter," he said.

While defending himself, the senior BJP leader from Maharashtra who has also been the party chief, asserted that he had reached the present position by working at the grassroots level and "not by submitting bio-data". 

Insisting that the entire loan was settled through <g data-gr-id="49">one time</g> settlement process, Gadkari <g data-gr-id="50">asked</g> "Is taking a loan corruption? Is paying back that loan along with <g data-gr-id="51">intrest</g> is corruption?

He said there was no mention of a scam in the CAG report. The Minister reminded the Opposition that when <g data-gr-id="60">loan</g> was granted to <g data-gr-id="69">Purti</g> <g data-gr-id="70">Sakkar</g> Karkhana Limited (PSKL), there was a UPA government at the Centre as well as in Maharashtra.

"At that time I was not a minister, BJP President or even an MP...<g data-gr-id="56">Maximum</g> loan was given by <g data-gr-id="52">IREDA</g> to our companies. Your party had a government them. CAG report is not against me but <g data-gr-id="53">IREDA</g>. In a <g data-gr-id="54">way</g> it is a report against a government of your department.

"There are 29 companies, which took <g data-gr-id="58">loan</g> from <g data-gr-id="66">IREDA</g>. 18 did not pay the loan while nine did not pay the <g data-gr-id="67">interst</g>. PSKL has not done any kind of irregularity. There is no such allegation in the CAG report," Gadkari said.

Gadkari had yesterday broken his silence and made a statement in the Rajya Sabha saying there was no corruption or misappropriation charge against him and the government auditor's report was "deliberately being misinterpreted for political reasons."

Amid slogan-shouting by Congress, he had read out a statement saying the CAG report was "deliberately being misinterpreted for political reasons". <g data-gr-id="72">Leader</g> of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said on Tuesday that either he should make the statement again or the copy of his yesterday's statement be distributed among members so that they can ask clarifications.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkiah Naidu as well as Gadkari, however, preferred a reading out of the reply.