Congress president Rahul Gandhi continued his attack on Narendra Modi on Saturday alleging that it was the Prime Minister’s “blue-eyed boy” in the CBI who had diluted the lookout notice against fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya, allowing him to flee the country.
Taking to Twitter, Rahul alleged that it was AK Sharma, a Gujarat-cadre officer in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), who played a crucial role in weakening the lookout notice against Mallya. He also alleged that the same officer played a key role in the escape plans of fugitive diamond traders Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi.
"CBI Jt Director, AK Sharma, weakened Mallya’s "Look Out" notice, allowing Mallya to escape. Mr Sharma, a Gujarat cadre officer, is the PM's blue-eyed-boy in the CBI. The same officer was in charge of Nirav Modi & Mehul Choksi's escape plans. Ooops...Investigation! (sic)," he wrote on the microblogging website.
Rahul and his party have accused Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley of "helping" Mallya to flee the country after defaulting on bank loans. The Congress has demanded Jaitley's resignation over the issue and a probe into how Mallya escaped.
The 62-year-old tycoon, who is on bail on an extradition warrant since his arrest in April last year, is fighting extradition to India on charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to around Rs 9,000 crore.
Rahul's tweet came days after Mallya claimed that he had met Jaitley before leaving the country in March, 2016. "I met the finance minister before I left," the liquor baron had told reporters Wednesday outside the Westminster Magistrates' Court in London, where his extradition case is being heard.Jaitley has, however, denied the charges against him.
His party alleged that "23 persons" involved in bank frauds to the tune of Rs 90,000 crore fled the country during the BJP rule and dubbed it as party which is "more loyal to a con-man than to a common man". The Congress party said "the possibility of central government's hand in relocation of 23 fugitives abroad in past four years cannot be ruled out" and demanded an impartial probe into the issue.