Vijay Mallya was never a fraud, needed government relief: Sanjay Raut in new book

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut has defended industrialist Vijay Mallya in his new book, arguing that the former Rajya Sabha MP had no intention of cheating anyone and was forced to leave India after his business failed.In his book, Bodh Kirtan, which will be released tomorrow in the presence of Thackeray brothers, Raut also praises Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s non-political speeches.The book brings together Raut’s personal experiences, encounters and reflections on his reading.‘MALLYA NEEDED RELIEF, NOT A WAIVER’Raut writes that he knew Mallya closely from their interactions in Parliament and the Central Hall. He describes him as cheerful, generous and more patriotic than many parliamentary leaders. He argues that Mallya’s lavish lifestyle created misconceptions about him, though it may have been necessary for his business.Disputing the description of the two-term Rajya Sabha MP as a “fugitive”, Raut says banks should have supported Mallya when his business collapsed and loans remained unpaid. He claims the PM Modi government waived loans for several industrialists over the past decade, while Mallya needed relief rather than a waiver.Mallya, who left India in March 2016 amid cases linked to Kingfisher Airlines’ unpaid bank loans, was declared a fugitive economic offender by a Mumbai court in 2019.PRAISE FOR PM MODI’S SPEECHESIn the chapter 'Deepstambh', the Sena (UBT) MP draws a distinction between PM Modi’s political and non-political speeches.While describing the former as lacking in substance and uninteresting, he says the latter are worth listening to and reading.He describes PM Modi’s speech on Lord Ram during the Ayodhya Deepotsav in October 2022 as “an emotional festival of lights in words”, adding that Ram’s ideals should serve as a guiding light for every Indian.- Ends