New Delhi: Brushing aside allegations by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) that it withdrew from a research project in India due to differences with him, IT Minister Arun Shourie on May 9 said it was because there was no value addition to the project by the US-based institute to benefit Indian masses.

"The agreement with MIT which lapsed on March 31 was not renewed not because I am not interested in rural development but because researchers in five IITs (Indian Institute of Technologies) to whom funds had been given for the project said 'we can't tell what contribution came about from MIT'," Shourie said.