Janjivan Bureau / New Delhi : Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday levelled serious allegations of collusion against Finance Minister Arun Jaitley saying he facilitated the escape of fugitive bank fraudster Vijay Mallya.
“It’s an open and shut case of collusion,” Gandhi said in a press conference at AICC headquarters where he was accompanied by his parliamentary colleague PL Punia.
Read: Met FM before leaving country, says Mallya; Jaitley calls it ‘factually false’
Punia earlier said he saw Jaitley meeting Mallya in the central hall of Parliament before the latter flew off to London. “The two spoke for over 20 minutes first in a corner and then on the seats of central hall of Parliament,” Punia said.
Citing the Punia testimony, Gandhi said, “It’s simple and straight. Arun Jaitley met Mallya for 20 minutes and he admits Mallaya told him he would be leaving for London. Why didn’t Mr Jaitley inform ED and CBI? Why did he let Mallaya run away? It’s collusion.”
Provoking the BJP with his grave allegations, Gandhi also said, “At the meeting in Parliament Mr Jaitley and Mallya discussed the logistics of the escape of the latter and Mallya was given free passage.”
Gandhi asked why the restraint notice against Mallya was diluted as a simple and plain inform notice.
“At whose behest did Mr Jaitley do all this,” asked Congress chief.
To a question on whether he thought PM Narendra Modi was involved in the matter, Gandhi said, “Who else? Who decides everything in this government?”
Jaitley on Wednesday had rejected as trash the allegations of Mallya who said he had met the FM before leaving India and offered to settle with the banks.
Jaitley said there was no structured meeting between the two and that Mallya accosted him suddenly one day while he was walking to his office in the Parliament House.
Mallya misused his privileges as a Rajya Sabha MP and accosted him, Jaitley said.
