 "Ghulam Nabi Azad, Arun Jaitley")
The Congress Party on Thursday criticised the BJP-led NDA Government for not arresting liquor baron Vijay Mallya and allowing him to leave the country freely.
Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad said Mallya is not a small instrument like a needle, which cannot be seen from a far distance.
He can be seen from a distance of one km. I accuse this government as to why was Vijay Mallya not arrested? Why was his passport not seized?" he asked.
Another Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also targeted the government on the issue.
"The question is not about who gave loans to Mallya, the question is why was he allowed to leave India. Why was Vijay Mallya allowed to leave the country?" he asked in the Rajya Sabha.
However, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley led a counter attack against the grand old party, saying that it was under the UPA regime when Mallya went abroad and a case was registered under Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).
Speaking in the upper house, he said that the CBI is looking into the matter.
The Supreme Court has issued a notice to Mallya on a plea filed by a consortium of 13 PSU banks headed by the State Bank of India. The lenders had moved the apex court to prevent Mallya from leaving the country and impounding his passport even as the loan recovery procedure for Kingfisher Airlines is still on.
The notice will be served through the Indian High Commission in London. Based on CBI inputs, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the banks, informed the Supreme Court that Mallya left India on March 2 and could be in the UK.
The apex court has sought Mallya's response to the banks' plea by March 30 which is the next date of hearing.
