Cancelling my passport won’t get you back your money, cries Mallya

Former Indian liquor baron Vijay Mallya, who fled India in March and owes billions of dollars to Indian banks, has said that he is in a "forced exile" and would not return to India right now, because here, things are been thrown at him "fast and furious".

Mallya, whose passport has been cancelled by the Indian government, said that he wants a "reasonable" settlement with creditor banks for the now defunct Kingfisher Airlines, but by taking his passport or arresting him, they won’t get any money.

"I definitely would like to return to India. Right now, things are flying at me fast and furious. My passport has been revoked. I don't know what the government is going to do next," he told the Financial Times.

The 60-year old says that he continues to be an Indian patriot, who is "proud to fly the Indian flag", but he feels safe in the UK and has no plans to leave that country amidst the outcries against him.

"It is important to understand the environment in India today. The electronic media is playing a huge role not just in moulding public opinion, but in inflaming the government to a very large extent," he said in a four-hour interview in Mayfair, Central London.

It was yesterday that the Indian government had formally asked the UK to deport Mallya, who also has several NBWs against him.

Mallya added that he was "absolutely not guilty of any of these preposterous charges of diverting funds from Kingfisher, buying properties or stuff like that".

Also read: Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Mallya, a billionaire, had asked for Rs 20,000 as perks

He added that the government can appoint the world's best forensic auditor, but even he won’t find anything wrong in the accounts of Kingfisher as far as bank loans utilization is concerned.

When asked who he thinks is behind his woes, he said, "I wish I knew," and "All I can say is the manner in which my passport was first suspended and then revoked was done in an extraordinary haste."

"First, notice of suspension came on a public holiday last week... I replied. And my reply was not considered and the passport was revoked on Saturday," he concluded.