New York:
He has been at the centre of the controversy of this year 's Padma awards and he has now for the first time spoken out in his defence. Speaking exclusively to NDTV in New York, Non Resident Indian (NRI) hotelier Sant Chatwal says he is the victim of a malicious campaign in the Indian media. (
Read: 'Malicious campaign' will only strengthen my resolve: Chatwal)
Chatwal told NDTV that his lawyer has filed a defamation case against some Indian newspapers and he refuted any allegations that his name was put forward by the Prime Ministers Office (PMO), particularly Principal Secretary to PM, T K A Nair as reported by the press.
Nair's presence at the inauguration of one of Chatwal's hotels was seen as lending credence to the accusation. (
Read: Government defends Chatwal's Padma Bhushan)
Here's the excerpts of the interview:
NDTV: Mr Chatwal, why now? Why break your silence now?
Sant Chatwal: My lawyers had advised me to keep mum. There was a malicious campaign being carried out against me in the Indian media but now they have taken action against them so they have told me that I can go ahead and speak with the media and clear my name.
NDTV: What action have they taken? Can you clarify?
Sant Chatwal: My advocates have filed a defamation lawsuit against the paper that has been filing these reports against me.
NDTV: Which paper?
Sant Chatwal: The Indian Express has been making false allegations. They have not been telling the truth and so we have filed a defamation case against them.
NDTV: These media reports you are talking about say your name was added to the list of awardees at a later stage and that your name was pushed through by the Prime Minsiter's Office (PMO). There are photos of the Principal Secretary to the PMO at the inauguration of your hotel, in Kerala. What is your relation ship with Mr. Nair?
Sant Chatwal: I have been here for 30 years. I have relationships with every politician and bureaucrat. As an NRI I have to have relations with everybody. There is nothing wrong with that.
NDTV: But what about Mr Nair specifically, can you talk about that?
Sant Chatwal: I have no comment.
NDTV: But he was chief guest at the inauguration of your hotel. Why was he the chief guest? Why did you choose him?
Sant Chatwal:It is very simple. I am opening my first hotel in Kerala and T K Nair is from Kerala. As an NRI I said I am making a huge investment in your home state. It is a five-star hotel and I sent him a written request that I would be very appreciative if you would be there for the opening of the hotel. And he happened to be in Kerala that weekend. There was nothing more to that. I was very happy that he came for the inauguration of the hotel with many other dignitaries.
NDTV: And that's that he said yes, and you have had no relations with him since then?
Sant Chatwal: Absolutely, I have no other relationship with him. As an NRI, I have relations with all politicians. There is nothing exceptional about it.
NDTV: The Indian government says you are being awarded for the role you played in pushing the Indo-US-nuclear deal through. How would you describe your role exactly?
Sant Chatwal: On May 17, 2006, I brought together 18 US Senators and 50 Congressmen to raise awareness about the Indo-US nuclear deal. I was the first one to do so. Even my close friend Hillary Clinton was not in favour of the deal then. I had Kerry there, Joe Biden, and the who's who of American politics. We worked day and night on it. Not only that, in 1979, I took Congressman Stephen Solarz to meet Mrs. Gandhi. She said she would give us 15 minutes but spent an hour and a half with us. See my pictures of Mrs. Gandhi; see here I am with Rajiv Gandhi. I am with Narisimha Rao here, Mr. Gujral, VP Singh, Chandrashekar here, Vajaypee saab. I have been working with everybody. Here, I am with Mr. Amar Singh of the Samajwadi Party. I am the one who took President Bill Clinton to India. No American President has done so in 24 years. I started relations 30 years ago with Bill Clinton and other politicians here only because I love my motherland and I will keep on working on this irrespective of what the media says about me.
NDTV: All right, you are saying you are a man of relationships and everybody is aware that often in India, especially for awards, lobbying in involved. Did you lobby for this award?
Sant Chatwal: I have done nothing. I have only lobbied to build relations between the democracies of India and America and I have been doing this for more than 30 years.
NDTV: Two media personalities in India have filed a petition on this issue under the RTI Act. Are you worried that this will unearth something unflattering?
Sant Chatwal: Absolutely not, I have anything to worry about. I know what I have done over the past 30 years to bring these two nations together. I am very proud of what I have done. Let the truth come out.
NDTV: You say you are innocent of the CBI charges that have been filed against you. So what does this Padma award mean to you then?
Sant Chatwal: You are innocent until proven guilty. When I write my biography, this will be one of the many chapters in my autobiography; it will be a good history.
NDTV: The various bank fraud cases that were filed against you in the 70's have been dropped. Many people believe that the country's third highest civilian honour should not go to anybody whose past has been tainted, even though they may have been exonerated. What would you say in response to them?
Sant Chatwal: There is no pending case against me. If there were, then the FBI and the secret service would be aware of it. They check you thoroughly. Still, former US President Bill Clinton came to my home 11 years ago. Just recently I was at a dinner with President Bush. When the Prime Minister came here, I was wining and dining with Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton; I was at the White House for the State Dinner. The FBI and the secret service check you thoroughly, you know.
NDTV: The Home Ministry put out an unusual clarification saying that you are a tireless advocate of India's interests in USA. So does that make you feel that you have the backing of Home Minister Chidambaram?
Sant Chatwal: I do not know who is backing me or not. My job is to work. I am working for democracy and my motherland, which I enjoy and I will continue to do so. After 30 years of working like this if the Home Ministry wants to recognise this then what is wrong. What is the big deal? Nothing. I have spent millions of dollars. I could have spent all my energy and time and made more money for myself instead. But my love and affection for my motherland cannot be bought.
NDTV: You have show us all these pictures of you with politicians from all political parties but the opposition to your being awarded a Padma Bhushan also seems to be cutting across all Party lines. Starting with the BJP now even the Congress party has distanced itself from the decision, which it said was taken by the government. How do you explain that?
Sant Chatwal: I am not attached to any political party. I am very proud of the work I have done in putting the nuclear deal together. There is only one person, in the history of America, who could put 18 Senators and 50 Congressmen in a room in the US Senate building. And that's what I did and laid the foundation for the Indo-US nuclear deal. I had four presidential candidates there. It took me four years and millions of dollars, which I paid out of my own pocket. I am very proud of that because I love my motherland.
NDTV: The government says you got this award for your work in taking the Indo-US nuclear deal forward. The deal was very close to the Prime Minister's heart. Do you think the PM is in favor of you getting this award?
Sant Chatwal: I have greatest regard for the Prime Minister. He put his own job on the line for the nuclear deal. The nuclear deal is historical for India and America. It is thanks to Dr Manmohan Singh and others who have worked very hard on this.
NDTV: So you are definitely going to go to India to accept your award and you have no intentions of turning it down?
Sant Chatwal: Absolutely, I am looking forward to meeting the President of India and receiving this award.
Also read:
Padma Bhushan upsets BJP, delights ChatwalChatwal row: Congress tries to distance itself