‘Bhagoda economics’: Congress’ dig over Vijay Mallya’s remark on informing Jaitley before leaving India

The Congress on Friday took a swipe at the Modi government over fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya’s reported remarks that he had informed then finance minister Arun Jaitley before leaving the country in 2016 and said “Narendra’s whole system has turned out to be a surrender”.

In another jibe, the opposition party also said Modi government’s “pakoda economics” turned into “bhagoda economics”.

The Congress often mocks the government using the term ‘pakodanomics’, an apparent reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reported comment in 2018 that selling ‘pakoras’ is also employment.

The Congress shared a video clip from a recent podcast Mallya did with social media influencer Raj Shamani in which he claimed he had informed Jaitley before leaving India in 2016. “It is clear that Modi government had a hand” in the businessman fleeing from the country, the party said.

The party’s media and publicity department head Pawan Khera also posted the same clip.

Mallya is heard saying in clip, “I told the finance minister, Arun Jaitley, before leaving for the airport and then I flew from Delhi to London, I was on my way to Geneva for an FIA world council meeting which was fixed months ago. I told the finance minister because I went from Parliament to the Delhi Airport. When this news hit the media it once again created a storm.”

People, he said, went running to Jaitley who denied meeting him. Then, a Congress MP saw them together and said so to the media.

“Mr Jaitley had to retract his statement and said, ‘yes, yes I met him but only while walking, it was a fleeting meeting’. I never said I went to Mr. Jaitley’s office, sat in front of him, had tea with him... All I said was that I told the finance minister while leaving, I am going to London, I have to go to Geneva for a meeting, I will be back, please tell the banks to sit across the table and settle with me.

“How long does it take to say this sentence, it can be talked about while walking’... but you see the way he denied it then when the Congress MP pointed out his mistake and said he saw us, he quickly changed,” Mallya said.

Khera responded to the podcast with a post targeting the government and reiterating party leader Rahul Gandhi’s surrender comment.

“The foreign minister tells Pakistan that it is being attacked. The bank fugitives flee the country by informing the finance minister. Narender’s entire system turned out to be a surrender,” he said.

Party colleague, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh, tagged the post with the “pakoda economics” jibe.

“Pakoda economics jo ban gaya bhagoda economics (pakoda economics that turned into fugitive economics),” he said.

Mallya, who fled to the UK in March 2016, is wanted in India over a default of Rs 9,000 crore that was loaned to erstwhile Kingfisher Airlines (KFA) by several banks.

India has been seeking Mallya’s extradition from the UK. He had in the past offered to repay 100 per cent of “public money” but accused the banks and government of refusing his offer.