Modi government is lenient to people like Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi: Rahul Gandhi

The Congress president Rahul Gandhi, in a shocking statement, on Saturday claimed that fugitive tycoon Vijay Mallya met several BJP leaders before leaving India, though he did not name any one of them. Addressing the Indian media in London, the Gandhi scion said, "Before Mallya left India, he met senior BJP leaders, that is documented. I won't name them".

Launching a scathing attack on the Narendra Modi government, the Congress chief also criticised them of being lenient to industrialists like Mallya as well as Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi, two absconding diamantaires and the key accused in the multi-million-dollar Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam.

Referring to the Vijay Mallya case, Gandhi said that Indian prisons are "difficult places" but fugitives like Vijay Mallya should not be treated differently.

"There is a relationship between Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and the Prime Minister. No action is taken against them," the 48-year-old leader added.

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Terming BJP President Amit Shah as a "murder accused" in connection to the Judge Loya death, the Congress president came down heavily on the Modi government and criticised them for creating a coercive environment to prevent institutions like the Supreme Court, Election Commission, and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) from functioning on their own.

"Earlier people would go to judges for justice, but now judges are coming to the public and expressing that they are not being allowed to work. Supreme Court, EC, RBI are the walls of our country, they're being torn apart now," he claimed.

Accusing the prime minister of insulting Indian citizens, Rahul further said, "When Prime Minister Modi says nothing happened before he became a Prime Minister, he insults every Indian's forefathers who toiled hard to build this country. Today in India, people are discriminated against on the basis of their caste and religion. Marginalised are betrayed while people like Anil Ambani benefit. While China creates 50,000 jobs in a day, India creates only 450 jobs".

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"You all have come here from all corners of the country and have made India proud. Congress party was powered by Non-Resident Indians (NRI) like you. Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Dr Ambedkar, Jawaharlal Nehru were all NRIs. They travelled the world and helped India with new perspectives," Gandhi went on to claim further.

Rahul Gandhi is currently on a two-day visit to the United Kingdom after completing another in Germany. The Congress chief will leave for India later on Sunday.