Finance Minister knew I am leaving India: Vijay Mallya

In a major embarrassment for the Narendra Modi government in New Delhi, fugitive Vijay Mallya said he had informed Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley before leaving India

[Vijay Mallya talking to YouTuber Raj Shamani (Video grab)]

In a major embarrassment for the Narendra Modi government in New Delhi, fugitive Vijay Mallya said he had informed Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley before leaving India.

Talking to YouTuber Raj Shamani in a podcast, Mallya said he had a scheduled visit to London. On March 01, 2016, a day before he left for London, he had met Arun Jaitley in the Parliament and informed him about his itinerary.

“I told him I am going to London from where I will go to Geneva. However, after reaching London I learnt the government had declared me a “fugitive” and cancelled my passport”, Mallya said.

“I got stuck in London and could not visit Geneva for the important meeting”, he added.

He also said he asked Jaitley to tell the banks to sit across the table and settle the things with me.

Mallya also recounted how Jaitley initially denied meeting him, but later admitted to a “fleeting” interaction after a Congress MP confirmed seeing them together.

Vijay Mallya had made in September 2018 similar claim of meeting Union Finance Minister and senior Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arun Jaitley before leaving India with more than 9,000 crore rupees money laundering and fraud cases pending against his name.

Congress takes Modi govt to task

The BJP has rejected Mallya’s claim. But, opposition Congress has criticized the Modi government.

“The External Affairs Minister informs Pakistan before India’s attack, fraudsters inform Finance Minister before fleeing the country.

“Narendra's entire system ended in surrender”, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera wrote on X while sharing the video clip.

विदेश मंत्री पाकिस्तान को बता कर हमला करते हैं
बैंकों के भगौड़े वित्त मंत्री को बता कर देश से भागते हैं

नरेंद्र का तो पूरा सिस्टम ही सरेंडर निकला। #NarenderSurrender pic.twitter.com/5oroX4TKBo

— Pawan Khera 🇮🇳 (@Pawankhera) June 6, 2025

Vijay Mallya is wanted in India on alleged fraud and money laundering charges amounting to an estimated Rs 9,000 crore.

In the same podcast, Mallya, owner of Kingfisher also recounted how he opened "barrels of liquor" to serve the politcians.

Interestingly, the podcast was released a day after RCB victory in IPL. Mallya is former owner of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

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