Picture Courtesy : DNA India
Embattled liquor baron Vijay Mallya while appearing in the London court regarding his Extradition had sparked off a political storm when he claimed that he met Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley before leaving. The claim though Mallya backtracked later on was enough to stir a major controversy.
The finance Minister Arun Jaitley was quick to dismiss Mallya’s claims and said since 2014 he had never given him any appointment. Jaitley tweeted his reply on the matter
I did not even receive the papers that he was holding in his hand. Besides this one sentence exchange where he misused his privilege as a RS Member to further his commercial interest as a bank debtor, there is no question of my having ever given him an appointment to meet me.
— Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) September 12, 2018
The statement of Vijay Mallaya that he met me & offered settlement is factually false in as much as it does not reflect truth. Since 2014, I have never given him any appointment to meet me and the question of his having met me does not arise.
— Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) September 12, 2018
Despite Arun Jaitley’s rebuttal to Vijay Mallya’s claims, Congress president Rahul Gandhi took to twitter and demanded probe against Arun Jaitley
Given Vijay Mallya’s extremely serious allegations in London today, the PM should immediately order an independent probe into the matter. Arun Jaitley should step down as FInance Minister while this probe is underway.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 12, 2018
Stepping up his attack , Rahul Gandhi accused the finance minister of colluding with a ‘criminal’ and not informing the probe agencies, despite having information about the liquor baron’s plan to leave the country.
Speaking at a press conference, Congress president also trained his guns on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking, “Why did Jaitley allow Mallya to escape, or was it an order from the prime minister?”
“This is a clear-cut case of collusion. There is some deal between them. Finance Minister Jaitley must resign and this should be investigated,” he said.
Senior Congress leader P L Punia said on March 1, 2016, when he was in the Central Hall of Parliament, he had seen Jaitley and Mallya talking ‘discretely’.
