Vijay Mallya has stirred fresh political controversy after claiming in a recent podcast that he informed then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley before departing for London in 2016.
The fugitive business person stated, “I told Jaitley I was flying out to London for a meeting and would return soon. I asked him to tell the banks to talk to me.”
His remarks reignited debates around the circumstances of his exit.
Mallya alleged that media reports exaggerated the situation, adding that Jaitley initially denied any meeting, but later acknowledged a brief corridor encounter. He insisted he never claimed to have had a formal meeting in the minister’s office.
Sharing the clip, Congress leader Pawan Khera criticized the Modi government, saying the system “surrendered” by allowing Mallya to leave despite facing legal action.
The controversy has once again drawn attention to how prominent defaulters managed to flee the country under government watch.
Mallya is an Indian fugitive, former businessman and politician.
He is the subject of an extradition effort by the Indian Government to return him from the UK to face charges of financial crimes in India.
His last formal appeal against extradition was rejected in 2020, but as of April 2025 the order had not been enforced; the judge in a case rejecting his appeal against bankruptcy said “apparently Dr Mallya is still resisting extradition on other bases which have yet to be resolved”.
Vijay Mallya stated banks recovered nearly ₹14,000 crore from a loan of ₹6,203 crore. He claims banks have not provided account statements despite multiple reminders, prompting him to approach the Karnataka High Court for clarification.
