New Delhi: The Congress on Friday took a swipe at the Modi government over fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya’s reported remarks that he had informed then finance minister Arun Jaitley before leaving the country in 2016 and said “Narender’s whole system has turned out to be a surrender”.
In another jibe, the opposition party also said the Modi government’s “pakoda economics” turned into “bhagoda economics”.
The Congress often mocks the government using the term ‘pakodanomics”, an apparent reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reported comment in 2018 that selling ‘pakoras’ is also employment.
Speaking on the podcast, Mallya said, “I told Finance Minister Arun Jaitley before leaving for the airport, and then I flew to London from Delhi.” He further added that after the news became public, it caused a stir, with media and political circles questioning how he managed to leave the country amid mounting legal pressure.
“When this news hit the media, it created a storm. People went running to Jaitley. He denied meeting me. A Congress MP saw us and then told the media, ‘No, I saw them together’. Jaitley had to retract his statement. He then said I met him, but only while walking — it was a fleeting meeting,” Mallya recalled.
Clarifying his version, Mallya said he never claimed to have had a formal meeting in Jaitley’s office. “All I said is that I told the Finance Minister, while leaving, that I’m going to London to go to Geneva for a meeting. I’ll be back. Please tell the banks to sit across the table and settle with me. How long does this take — this one sentence?” he said.
He also accused the media of exaggerating the situation, saying, “This is the problem with the media, particularly where I’m concerned. They conjure up stuff, blow things out of proportion. Okay, it’s good for their business, then let them continue doing it.”
Sharing Mallya’s statement on X (formerly Twitter), Congress’s Pawan Khera took a jibe at PM Narendra Modi and the BJP-led government. “Foreign Minister attacks Pakistan by telling them. Bank fugitives flee the country after informing the Finance Minister. Narendra’s entire system turned out to be surrendered.”
The resurfacing of this controversy adds fresh political heat as Opposition is once again raising questions on how and why figures like Vijay Mallya managed to flee despite being under investigation.
