Letter from London Confirms Mallya’s Resignation as MP

Liquor-baron Vijay Mallya presents his resignation letter as the Rajya Sabha MP candidature on Monday showing that ‘he would not get any fair hearing’. Reports are that Mallya’s` resignation from the MP post is assumed to be followed by the unanimous view of the Rajya Sabha Ethics Panel that decided to expel the businessman.

Surprisingly, Mallya’s term as a Rajya Sabha MP was to end next month. In his resignation letter to the Rajya Sabha Chairman, he said: “I don’t want my name and reputation to be further dragged in the mud and since recent events suggest that I will not get a fair trial or justice, I am hereby resigning as a member of the Rajya Sabha with immediate effect.”

Saying the allegations as ‘blatantly false and baseless’, the United Breweries Group’s Chairman asserted that he is ‘shocked’ with the proceedings undertaken by the Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance and Government of India.

Mallya flew to London on March 2 from Delhi and described his stay at Britain as ‘forced exile’ earlier this week. The 60-year-old businessman had blamed the banks ‘for refusing several plans for repayment offered by him,’ report said. As many as 17 nationalized and privately-owned banks owe $1.4 billion from the now defunct Kingfisher Airlines.

Following Mallya’s announcement of ‘willingness to repay the banks,’ main lender State Bank of India’s Chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya said: “Mallya’s willingness to pay will have to be tested. I want to see actual cash. I don’t want to see ifs and buts.”