INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
"Arun Jaitley is lying, Congress leader PL Puniya saw him meet Vijay Mallya," Rahul Gandhi saidNew Delhi: 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, Rahul Gandhi alleged today."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."It was a 15-20
minute, sit-down meetingThe 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"The Congress president handed the mic to PL Puniya, who said he had seen Mr Mallya and the
finance minister speak in the Central Hall of parliament in March 2016, days before the liquor baron left India and flew to the UK amid
attempts to recover over Rs 9,000 crore in unpaid loans from him.A British court will give its verdict on Vijay Mallya's extradition on
December 10"I was in the central hall of Parliament House
I saw Jaitley and Mallya standing and talking in the corner
After 5-7 minutes, they sat on the bench and started talking
Mallya had come for the first time just to meet Jaitley," Mr Puniya said
You can look at CCTV footage and see if I am wrong
If I am wrong, I will resign," he declared."After that on March 3 -- he left for London on March 2 -- my reaction was: he met Jaitley two
days ago," the Congress leader said.Mr Mallya, 62, flamboyant liquor baron and former parliamentarian, is being investigated for fraud and
In the UK for the past two years, he has been fighting India's attempts to bring him back to face trial.Asked whether he was tipped off
about the investigations, Mr Mallya told reporters yesterday outside a UK court hearing a case on his extradition to India: "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." He said he had also told the minister that he was leaving for London.Arun Jaitley said he has never given an appointment
to Vijay Mallya before the tycoon left IndiaArun Jaitley, who was the finance minister in 2016 when Mr Mallya left India, emphatically
"Since 2014, I have never given him any appointment to meet me and the question of his having met me does not arise," he wrote on
Facebook."He misused that privilege (of being an MP) on one occasion while I was walking out of the House to go to my room
He paced up to catch up with me and while walking uttered a sentence that 'I am making an offer of settlement'Having been fully briefed
about his earlier 'bluff offers', without allowing him to proceed with the conversation, I curtly told him 'there was no point talking to me
and he must make offers to his bankers'," Mr Jaitley said."The finance minister talks to an absconder
He tells the minister I am going to London and the finance minister didn't even tell the CBI or police
Why not," Rahul Gandhi said.He also referred to questions swirling around the dilution of a lookout notice against Mr Mallya by the CBI
"Who changed the notice on Mallya's arrest If Jaitley has done it himself, then he should confess
It's an open and shut case."
