Defunct business tycoon Vijay Mallya seems to kick up a fresh political controversy the moment he opens his mouth. He recently stirred a altercation claiming he had met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley before fleeing to London, only to backtrack a few hours later saying no formal meeting took place and that he only “happened” to meet the minister in the Parliament. In the little time he took to make allegations and pull it back, the political system in India had already created a loud and rather brash ruckus, with the ruling BJP blaming the Congress and vice versa.
The political fight only escalated with Congress president Rahul Gandhi charging Jaitley with colluding in the liquor baron's flight from India. Not one to take the hit, the BJP promptly lashed back saying the UPA regime bent over to carve out a “sweet deal” for the fugitive businessman. The storm continues even after Mallya withdrew his statements, as Congress MP PL Punia claims to have seen a long conversation between the two in Parliament's Central Hall. Now, the Congress demands a thorough examination of the CCTV coverage.
The puppeteer and his puppets
Talking to reporters outside London's Westminster Magistrates' Court, Mallya said, “I left because I had a scheduled meeting in Geneva, I met the Finance Minister before I left, repeated my offer to settle with the banks... that's the truth.” He added that he had told the minister he was leaving for London. Just minutes later, his statement turned into a whirlwind of accusations and controversies, prompting Jaitley to react to the claims.
Quick to dismiss any official meeting, the Union Minister wrote a post on Facebook saying, “Statement 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.” He went on to describe when he did actually meet Mallya, adding that he “misused his privilege as a Rajya Sabha member.” Following Jaitley's response, Mallya turned around on his words, instead blaming the media for misrepresenting facts.
Soon, as events played out, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi demanded a probe into Mallya's comments while BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao said that by this token, former Congress leaders should be in jail as they not only met Mallya, but even helped him get loans from public sector banks. With nothing substantial to pin against the ruling government, Rahul Gandhi immediately lapped up Mallya's claims and began a series of baseless attacks on the NDA. As if on cue, Gandhi stepped up his attacks on the BJP, accusing Jaitley of colluding with a “criminal” and not informing the probe agencies, despite having information about the liquor baron's plan to leave the country. “Why did Jaitley allow Mallya to escape, or was it an order from the Prime Minister?” he asked. “This is a clear-cut case of collusion. There is some deal between them. Finance Minister Jaitley must resign and this should be investigated,” Gandhi said.
Meanwhile, PL Punia, who claimed to have seen Jaitley and Mallya talking “discretely”, said, “On March 3, we heard from the media that he fled the country on March 2. I have clearly stated about this in each of my interview with the media. There are CCTV cameras, we can all see that for proof. If I am wrong, I will resign from politics,” he said. Punia added that the meeting lasted for 15-20 minutes.
While the political back-and-forth continues, one can't help but wonder why Gandhi and his members of otherwise capable and smart leaders never pause to think over their political strategy and instead resorts to blind verbal attacks on a government that has only proved them wrong ever since taking up the office. Every time Mallya goes to court or address reporters, the Congress party finds and twists words to attack the BJP. The irony, this is the very party that helped Mallya and his Kingfisher Airlines stay afloat when in power itself.
CBI Detention Letter Controversy
In bad timing, the first lookout notice issued for Mallya in November 2015, by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was revealed, in which the bureau had stated that the businessman's detention was not required. It had also asked police to “inform the advance arrival/departure of the subject discreetly.” Following a ho-ha on the nature of the letter, and the fact that the agency had taken the case so lightly, CBI stated the dilution of the 2015 lookout circular against Mallya from detaining him to merely being informed about his entry/exit was an “error in judgment”.
It said allegations that its Joint Director AK Sharma weakened the lookout circular against the liquor baron to allow him to flee India were baseless. “As has been stated a number of times earlier, the decision to change the lookout circular was taken because at the time there was not sufficient grounds for the CBI to detain and arrest him.” Dated October 16, 2015, the agency had filled out the LOC form checking the box “prevent subject from leaving India”. A second circular was dated November 24, 2015, the night Mallya landed in Delhi. The circular had a covering letter sent to the Special Branch of the Mumbai Police. The agency had checked the box “inform originator of arrival/departure of subject” in this form.
Mallya has been on bail on an extradition warrant since his arrest in April last year, and is fighting extradition to India on charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to around £900 million. The extradition trial that opened at the London court on December 4 last year, is aimed at laying out a prima facie case of fraud against Mallya. It also seeks to prove there are no “bars to extradition” and that the tycoon is assured a fair trial in India over his now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines' alleged default of over £900 million in loans from a consortium of Indian banks. London's Westminster Magistrates' Court has fixed December 10 as the date to deliver its verdict on the case.
