New Delhi: Even as the Congress kept up its attack on finance minister Arun Jaitley over his “meeting” with Vijay Mallya, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday accused the then UPA government of violating norms to benefit the fugitive businessman and his Kingfisher Airlines.
Addressing a press conference, Union minister Piyush Goyal said former prime minister Manmohan Singh had told the media that he sought to bail out private airlines making losses, referring to Kingfisher.
The minister claimed that due to the “relations” between Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s family and Mallya, banks were pressured by the previous UPA government to sanction loans to the businessman, violating all norms, adding that Gandhi must resign over the charges.
“On August 18, 2010, a company-specific letter was sent to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the issue was resolved on August 27. In October 2011, Mallya thanked Singh and said he needed more help and the RBI was forced to come to their aid again,” the minister said.
Mallya, he asserted, had no credibility as he was under the "glare of law" and was a criminal. He could not be taken seriously, Goyal said.
Hitting out at Congress MP PL Punia, who vouched having seen Mallya speaking to Jaitley in the central hall of Parliament, Goyal questioned why he was silent for so long. “The finance minister has made it clear that he snubbed Mallya. Now the Congress got Punia to say he heard and saw the conversation. Why after two years did he suddenly remember the incident and decide to disclose it?” he asked.
Goyal accused the Congress of spreading lies, saying, “When they broke all laws with the help of banks and RBI and gave special allowances to Kingfisher, then people lost their money. Now, when they are being exposed, they are crying foul.”
“The family and party that wasted people’s money is now trying to cover up its sins,” he said, adding that the Modi government had never extended any loans to Mallya or helped him in the recovery process.
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