New Delhi: One time “King of Good times” Vijay Mallya has fled India unable to repay over Rs 9000 crore bank loans. A day after he “fled”, the concerned banks filed a petition asking the Supreme Court to prevent him from leaving the country. By that time, Mallya was already cooling his heels at his luxury villa in England. His ‘escape’ has now raised serious questions over the alleged role of banks, law enforcing agencies and the political system in helping Mallya to leave the country. A week after he left, Parliament is witnessing a slanging match between the ruling BJP and the main opposition Congress over him fleeing.
“Banks did not file case till March 5. The Attorney General told that Vijay Mallya left the nation. 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?” said former union minister Jairam Ramesh in Rajya Sabha. Before him leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad also took on the government for “allowing” Mallya to leave the country. Replying to these allegations, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that there was no arrest warrant against him when he left India on March 2.
Well. These points and counter points are not going to get Mallya back. Everybody knows that it is almost impossible to get a man extradited from England. India has a long history of facilitating some of the most wanted to “escape” abroad.
In 1984, after the Bhopal gas leakage in which thousands of people were killed in seconds, the US based Multi National Company the Union Carbide chairman Warren Anderson was almost escorted out of India by the then Rajiv Gandhi led Congress government at the Centre. Warren Anderson never returned to India to face the law and died in America two years ago.
A few years after this incident, the main accused in the Bofors scam Ottovio Quattrochchi was also allowed leave India. Again by the same Congress government. Like Anderson, Quattrochchi also never returned to India to face the law. He too died a few years ago.
The IPL founder Lalit Modi is still living in London evading the Indian laws. Despite arrest warrants against him, Modi is leading a lavish life in Europe. He also fled India during the Congress rule.
Vijay Mallya has now joined the “elite” list of “celebrity” fugitives. Those who know the international law know very well that it will be very difficult for the government to get Mallya back home, unless they clinch a deal with him.
Highflying Mallya is a gone boy now!
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