Delhi Diary: "Fugitive" Billionaire Ignites War Of Words In India

By Shakir Husain NEW DELHI, Sept 18 (Bernama) -- A "fugitive" billionaire has ignited a war of words in India after saying he met the country's finance minister before leaving in March 2016. Vijay Mallya, now living in Britain, was a politically influential Indian tycoon who controlled a huge alcohol business and the defunct Kingfisher Airlines. The Indian government is seeking his return while local banks are trying to recover about US$1 billion from the 62-year-old businessman. Appearing before a London court recently in connection with his extradition case, Mallya made some remarks which potential impact he may not have realised. "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 is the truth," Mallya told the media when asked if he was "tipped off" to leave India. The liquor baron was a member of the Rajya Sabha, the Indian parliament's upper house. Arun Jaitley, who was finance minister in 2016, flatly rejected Mallya's statement. "Since 2014, I have never given him any appointment to meet me and the question of his having met me does not arise," Jaitley said. The minister added that since Mallya was a Rajya Sabha member and "occasionally attended" the chamber: “He misused that privilege on one occasion while I was walking out of the House to go to my room." In Jaitley's words, Mallya "paced up to catch up with me and while walking uttered a sentence that 'I am making an offer of settlement'." That was it and no conversation happened between them, according to Jaitley, who is a key leader of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). With the country scheduled to hold generation elections next year, Mallya's words are the kind of ammunition the opposition Congress party is looking for. Congress president Rahul Gandhi said given Mallya's "extremely serious allegations", Prime Minister Narendra Modi should immediately order an investigation into the matter and Jaitley "should step down as finance minister while this probe is underway." Gandhi also said a Congress member of parliament saw Mallya and the finance minister in a meeting in parliament on March 1 in 2016. Bitter arguments and accusations from both sides have dominated noisy television debates and vitriolic social media exchanges. The BJP deployed its stalwarts to counter the opposition's barrage of criticism. Mallya's case is an embarrassment to the Indian government and if the opposition manages to keep the pressure on, it is likely to have a serious political cost for the ruling party. The government is also facing criticism over what has been dubbed as India's biggest banking scandal that surfaced early this year. Diamond businessman Nirav Modi, who hobnobbed with politicians and film stars, fled India after his companies were found involved in a USD2 billion fraud. Another issue giving the government a headache is India's multi-billion-euro deal for buying 36 Rafale fighter jets from France. The opposition alleges the government withheld vital information and broke established procedures for defence purchases. The BJP government not only has to convincingly answer the opposition charges but also faces a challenge to curtail the shrillness of public debates before the crucial national elections. Edited by Sakina Mohamed -- BERNAMA