K’taka Cong questions move to write off Rs 68,000 crore loans, including Mallya & Choksi

Team Udayavani, Apr 28, 2020, 1:36 PM IST

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Congress on Tuesday questioned the move to write off over Rs 68,000 crore loans of top 50 wilful defaulters.

The Reserve Bank of India while responding to a RTI query filed by activist Saket Gokhale informed that Indian banks have technically written off a staggering amount of Rs 68,607 crore due from 50 top wilful defaulters. Notably those among the defaulters list are Vijay Mallya and Mehul Choksi.

In the backdrop of this revelation, the state Congress hit out at the Centre and questioned, Why rich capitalists loans are written off while the poor are ignored.

Taking to Twitter Karnataka Congress stated: “In what could sound alarm bells to beleaguered banking system, RBI writes off over ₹68000cr loans. These include M Choksi, Baba Ramdev & Balkrishna group company. Many of them defaulted prominent nationalist banks over past several years & are either absconding or facing action.”

“What prompted RBI to write off ₹68000cr to those who can afford to pay. Staggering ₹2212cr has been written off for Ruchi Soya which belongs to Ramdev & Balkrishna. Their company Patanjali reported ₹8330 cr revenue! Why rich capitalists loans are written off & poor ignored?,” it said in yet another tweet.

What prompted RBI to write off ₹68000cr to those who can afford to pay.

Staggering ₹2212cr has been written off for Ruchi Soya which belongs to Ramdev & Balkrishna.

Their company Patanjali reported ₹8330 cr revenue!
Why rich capitalists loans are written off & poor ignored?

— Karnataka Congress (@INCKarnataka) April 28, 2020

Meanwhile, activist Saket had filed the RTI because Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur had refused to answer Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s question on top 50wilful defaulters during the last Budget Session in Lok Sabha on February 16.

After @nsitharaman refused to answer Wayanad MP @RahulGandhi‘s question on top 50 willful defaulters in the Lok Sabha, I’d filed an RTI asking the same question.

The RBI responded to my RTI with a list of willful defaulters (and the amount owed) as of 30th Sep, 2019.

(1/2) pic.twitter.com/gJMCFv8fAX

— Saket Gokhale (@SaketGokhale) April 27, 2020