The Congress has demanded the resignation of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari due to the alleged financial wrongdoings highlighted by the CAG in connection with a company founded by him and his family. AICC spokesman Abhishek Singhvi made the demand close on the heels of an audit report tabled in Parliament on Thursday in which the CAG named Gadkari as one of the “promoters and/or directors” of Purti. The CAG has held that the company was sanctioned a loan of Rs84.12 crore by the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) in “violation of guidelines”.
Singhvi alleged that Gadkari, who had in an earlier case named his driver as a director in his Purti Group of companies to escape responsibility, has been “indicted” by the CAG in its report tabled in Parliament. The CAG held that IREDA could recover only Rs71.35 crore out of Rs84.12 crore recoverable from the borrower, resulting in a sacrifice of Rs12.77 crore.
The contentions of the management of Purti for doing so were untenable, it added. Besides, the auditor maintained that Purti did not comply with the conditions for interest subsidy. “The borrower violated the terms and conditions for subsidy schemes,” the report said.
Dubbing the findings of the CAG as a “serious matter”, Singhvi alleged that Purti took the loan by making false representation and has “violated every rule in the rulebook”. Taking a dig at the Modi Government, he said it was a “loot poot ki sarkar” (Government of loot) and not ‘sujh-bujh ki sarkar” (wise Government) and the CAG findings in Purti case were an example. Singhvi demanded that Gadkari step down as Union Minister till a judicial probe goes into the whole issue and comes out with a report.