Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday questioned the government as to how it allowed liquor baron Vijay Mallya to leave the country.
"I asked a clear question to Jaitley-ji, How did Mallya-ji escape from India? Someone who has stolen Rs.9,000 crore from the government, how did you allow him to leave the country," Gandhi asked.
"If a poor person steals something due to hunger, you send him to jail. But if a businessman runs away with Rs.9,000 crore, you send him to England in first class," he added.
Mallya was on Wednesday issued notice by the Supreme Court on a plea by a consortium of 17 banks, led by the State Bank of India, which sought his personal appearance before the court along with his passport.
The Bengaluru-based liquor tycoon is facing legal proceedings for allegedly defaulting loans of over Rs.9,000 crore from various banks.