AMN /
Congress once again raised the issue of Liquor Barron Vijay Mallya fleeing the country today. Raising the issue during Zero Hour in Rajya Sabha, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad questioned the propriety of CBI changing its look-out notice of Mallya from ‘arrest’ to ‘inform’.
Mr. Azad charged the government with taking a legal view in the case of Mallya, saying there was no court order for his arrest, whereas on an executive order, a Greenpeace activist with valid travel documents were detained and sent back from the airport. Azad said, these incidents reflect the double-speak of the government.
Congress also asked how industrialist Vijay Mallya was allowed to leave the country. Talking to media outside Parliament, party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala accused the government of having complicity with Mallya. He alleged the way Mallya fled India, it appears that the government has helped him to do so. The spokesperson demanded instead of saving him, Centre should take steps to recover the loans from him. He also demanded legal action against the industrialist. Asked that a large amount of loan was extended during the UPA tenure, Mr Surjewala said loans extended by the Banks were based on financial requirement.
Reacting to the allegation by Congress, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said before questioning the BJP and the government, Congress should look into its own past. The Minister also reminded the Congress about the escape of Ottavio Quattrocchi, who was an accused in the controversial Bofors scandal. Mr Naqvi said, law will take its own course in the cases related to Mallya. Industrialist Vijay Mallya, who owes more than nine thousand crore rupees to banks, left the country on 2nd of March.