New Delhi, Sep 13 : Stepping up his attack on Arun Jaitley for meeting fugitive tycoon Vijay Mallya before he fled to the UK, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday presented the foolproof evidence to the people of India about the meeting, while MP P L Punia challenged Jaitley to resign from politics if he is right and “If I am proved wrong …I will do so.”
“Arun Jaitley is lying, Congress leader PL Puniya witnessed his meeting with Vijay Mallya,” Rahul Gandhi said, a day after the finance minister rubbished Vijay Mallya’s claim that he had met him before leaving for London in 2016.
Gandhi fielded senior Congress leader P L Punia, who was an eyewitness to the meeting between Jaitley and the fugitive business tycoon Mallya on March 1, 2016 during the budget session.
” It was a sit down meeting for about 20 minutes in the Central Hall of Parliament,” Gandhi said.
” There is CCTV footage available. there is a proof of meeting between Jaitley and Mallya. First, they spoke standing and then sat on a bench of the Central Hall of Parliament. It seemed very intimate meeting.”
” I challenge Jaitley on this meeting … If I am right, Jaitley has to quit politics and if I am wrong, I will do so … For the last two- half years, Jaitley never mentioned about this meeting.”
“After that on March 3 — he left for London on March 2 — my reaction was, he met Jaitley two days ago,” added the Congress leader.
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.
Rahul said Vijay Mallya and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley were witnessed by a Congress leader having a discussion in parliament just two days before the fugitive tycoon’s flight to the UK,”The finance minister has to explain to the country why he has colluded with the criminal and why was he having a meeting with a criminal, what was discussed?”
India is trying to recover over Rs. 9,000 crores in unpaid loans from him.
The Opposition parties attacked the government after Vijay Mallya’s comment. Congress President Rahul Gandhi demanded an independent probe into the matter. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote in a tweet,” PM Modi meets Neerav Modi before he flees the country. FM meets Vijay Mallya before he flees India.
Gandhi said, “The government is lying on Rafale. The government is lying on Vijay Mallya. He was given a free passage out of the country by the Finance Minister.”
