Defending Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, union minister RS Prasad today questioned Rahul Gandhi and asked whether he is working with the fugitive tycoon Vijay Mallya since Mallya’s remarks saying he had met the finance minister before leaving for the UK came weeks after Congress President’s UK visit.
I can understand when the banking system is being made transparent&and accountable,Congress Party has become uncomfortable. From 1947 to 2008 Rs.18 lakh Crore bank loans were disbursed,which increased to Rs.52 Lakh Crore by 2014 under UPA-II led by Congres : Ravi Shankar Prasad
— ANI (@ANI) September 13, 2018
He said that the fact that Mallya met Jaitley in the Parliament, using his privilege as a Rajya Sabha member, and making an offer of settlement to Jaitley duly dismissed by the latter, was being made into an issue by the Congress. He added that Mallya’s statement comes weeks after Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the UK. Does that mean Mallya and Rahul Gandhi working in tandem?
He added that the Congress is upset with the present government as it is trying to bring transparency in the banking system.
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, too, came out to defend Jaitley and said that Mallya took undue advantage of the finance minister’s presence in Parliament.
Who used to go to parties in Goa?Who used to be his guests abroad?It should be found out. Jo unke beneficiaries hain,chor machaye shor…Won’t let him go, as long as Narendra Modi is PM, however strong might the fugitive be, he’ll be brought back: Union Min D Pradhan #VijayMallya pic.twitter.com/X8uUy4YmhH
— ANI (@ANI) September 13, 2018
He further added that those who were the beneficiaries of Mallya’s parties and be his guests abroad are now attacking the finance minister.
The Opposition parties had latched on to Mallya’s statement that he had met the FM before leaving for the UK, but a clarification from FM office followed soon saying that the said meeting was in the corridor of the Parliament where Mallya took advantage of his parliamentary privilege as Rajya Sabha member. Jaitley denied any official meeting regarding settlement having taken place. Later, even Mallya clarified that he had met many of his colleagues in the Parliament, not just the FM and had no formal meeting with the FM.
#WATCH: Vijay Mallya outside London Court clarifies on his statement that he met Finance Minister before leaving from the country, says “I happened to meet Mr Jaitley in Parliament & told him that I am leaving for London… I did not have any formal meetings scheduled with him.” pic.twitter.com/U0ZnbKXrnM
— ANI (@ANI) September 12, 2018
