Q. What about your letters to the Centre for release payment to contractors for the Vidarbha irrigation project?
Nitin Gadkari: I wrote, like other Congress and NCP leaders, for completion of national irrigation projects like Gosikhurd that were deliberately held up. The cost went up from Rs. 380 crore to Rs. 14,000 crore. There are 288 contractors working for the project. Did I write favouring any one contractor? This was my MLC constituency. How long should the project be delayed when 10,000 farmer suicides have taken place over so many years? This project is to help five districts - Nagpur, Bhandara, Gundiya, Chandpur, and Garhchiraulli.
Q: Are you not soft on Maharashtra leaders including Sharad Pawar?
Nitin Gadkari: That is no true. I never made a statement that Pawar and I have chaar kaam (four jobs) to do each other. It is preposterous to suggest that we do business. Of course, I do enjoy good relations with our rivals including Congress and NCP but that doesn't mean we do not take up issues against them. My political rivals do not become my enemies. But who took up the issue of (Abdul Karim) Telgi when the stamp paper scam made headlines? There have been other controversies too which my party and I have pursued strongly...
