Bajaj flays bribe-paying corporates, says he never did

Big corporate houses would find it easier not to be corrupt than small ones, but they still give money to get their jobs done, Bajaj said, adding "They (corporate houses) should not."

"Nobody asked me (for bribe). They don't have the guts to ask. They know me, my family background," he said within a day of Tata Group Supremo stating that he did not want to bribe Rs 15 crore to a minister, suggested by an industrialists, to start an airline in India.

"Bigger firms should have the guts not to give money," he said on the sidelines of the India Economic Summit here. However, he added, "Corruption is all pervasive in India."

His comments come a day after Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata's comment that he was not comfortable with the idea of paying a Rs 15 crore bribe to a minister, as had been suggested by an industrialist.

Narrating an incident, Tata had said, "I did not want to go to bed knowing well that I set up an airlines by paying Rs 15 crore." Corruption has been a sore issue for the Congress-led UPA government, which is facing a lot of flak from the Opposition.

Stormy scenes were witnessed in Parliament today as Opposition legislators disrupted proceedings, demanding a probe into former Telecom Minister A Raja's alleged role in the allocation of 2G spectrum to prima facie ineligible operators at throwaway prices.