Union Minister Nitin Gadkari recently revealed that ICICI Bank had refused to issue him a credit card. And when he pointed this out to KV Kamath, the then managing director of the bank, the top official said it was the policy that they do not issue credit cards to “lawyers and politicians”.
Addressing a national conference on ‘Investment Opportunities – Highways, Transport and Logistics’ in Mumbai, Gadkari said that he got inspiration from a TV shop to build the first BOT (build-operate-transfer) road. He said that he is the PWD minister in the Maharashtra government.
“I went to a shop to buy a TV in installments. But when that person came to know that I am a minister – he said sir, wait a while… I will give a fresh piece. But that fresh piece never arrived. Maybe he thought that some politician is buying TV in installments… Maybe the money will never come.”
Gadkari said that he had such experience in the past as well. “Kamath sahib was once on a flight with me. He was the MD of ICICI Bank. He came up to me and praised my works. I said Kamat sir you are praising me but your bank refused to give me credit card. Kamath said that we have a policy that we do not issue credit cards to lawyers and politicians. Later, he arranged one for me.”
The Union Minister said that when TVs can be bought in instalments, why not highways and tunnels, and “that’s how I got inspired to build BOT roads”.
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