Chennai, June 2 (IANS) Rocked by a controversy over an alleged favour in granting a 2G license to a private firm when he held the telecom portfolio, Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran Thursday claimed innocence and said he should be given an opportunity to defend himself in the probe being carried out by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

 
 Maran, who returned here from New Delhi after attending a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, was aggressive in his defence, saying he was in the "political wilderness" when the private telecom firm's group company invested in the television channel owned by his brother Kalanidhi Maran.
 
 Speaking to reporters here, the junior Maran said: "If I had done any wrong, I am ready to face any punishment. I am not expecting any sympathy. I have to be judged by the law. But if I am innocent, I should be given every right to protect myself and prove my innocence...because today, not only I am being disgraced, but it is not about just my integrity, but my party's integrity and my family's integrity."
 
 He said after he resigned from the government during UPA-I, there could have been an investigation against him. But nothing of this sort happened, he said, noting that even the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report had not found fault with him.
 
 "I have been accused of helping someone. I have never helped anyone. Someone invested in my brother's company when I was in the political wilderness. The CBI is doing an inquiry on me on a so-called allegation. If a genuine person wants to invest in a business...I have no shares. I have not benefited anyone. I have done nothing wrong," he said.