ESSAR Yacht Episode : Nitin Gadkari Denies Any Conflict of Interest

27 Feb, New Delhi
On the allegation of receiving favour from a Private Company ,Union Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari, has denied any conflict of interest.

Talking to reporters in New Delhi Friday Gadkari said as he was not a minister or MP then.

His tour to Norway with his family was totally a private affair and all bills for the holiday were paid by him.

Gadkari said, he took a ride on the yacht of the Ruia family because he has known them for over 25 years. The Transport Minister said he has not dealt with their cases in any capacity or extended any favours to them.

A report published by a leading daily today claimed that the Essar Group favoured Nitin Gadkari, UPA ministers and some journalists, and gave special privileges to them.

The report also said that former UPA minister Sriprakash Jaiswal, Congress leaders Digvijay Singh and Motilal Vora, and BJP’s Varun Gandhi referred candidates for jobs in Essar.

Meanwhile BJP also denied that Union Transport Minister Gadkari’s decision to end a ban on e-rickshaws was aimed at favouring a company allegedly linked to his family.

The party issued a statement on behalf of Gadkari, denying that he had any links with Nagpur-based Purti Green Technologies, which manufactures e-rickshaws.

“Neither Gadkari nor any member of his family is associated with any e-rickshaw manufacturing firm,” the statement said, rejecting newspaper reports that raised questions about “conflict of interest” in Gadkari’s support for e-rickshaws.

“The Union Minister has no commercial interests whatsoever in the e-rickshaw manufacturing sector,” the statement added.