Mallya told FM he was leaving country, why didn't he tell ED or CBI? Rahul attacks Jaitley

Earlier on Wednesday, Mallya confirmed that he met and informed Finance Minister Arun Jaitley before "leaving for London" in 2016.
"I happened to meet Jaitley in Parliament and told him that I am leaving for London... I did not have any formal meetings scheduled with him," Mallya said.
He also said that he had met Jaitley several times and expressed his willingness to settle the bank loans.

Speaking at a press conference, Gandhi also trained his guns on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking, "Why did Jaitley allow Mallya to escape, or was it an order from the prime minister?" "This is a clear-cut case of collusion. There is some deal between them. Finance Minister Jaitley must resign and this should be investigated," he said.

Senior Congress leader P L Punia said on March 1, 2016, when he was in the Central Hall of Parliament, he had seen Jaitley and Mallya talking "discretely".

"On March 3, we heard from the media that he (Mallya) fled the country on March 2. I have clearly stated about this in each of my interview with the media. There are CCTV cameras, we can all see that for proof. If I am wrong, I will resign from politics," Punia said.

He added that the meeting between Jaitley and Mallya lasted for 15-20 minutes.

Gandhi wondered that when the "absconder" had informed the finance minister about leaving the country, why did he not notify it to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or Enforcement Directorate (ED). The Congress president accused Jaitley and the government of lying on the issue. 

Just a few moments before the Congress presser started, BJP hit back by accusing Rahul Gandhi of ‘using black money’.

In a press conference at the BJP headquarters, Sambit Patra the party’s national spokesperson alleged that they had proof Rahul Gandhi was ‘using black money’.

He went on to claim that the BJP had proof that the Gandhi family was helping Vijay Mallya with ‘sweet’ deals.

He added that people out on bail shouldn’t be questioning ‘people who are innocent'. 

Earlier, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan defended his cabinet colleague and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley saying absconding businessman Vijay Mallya took ‘undue advantage of the FM’s presence in Parliament corridor’.

He said: “He (Mallya)had taken undue advantage of his (FM)presence in Parliament corridor. It's a lie & violation of decorum.  Who used to go to parties in Goa? Who used to be his guests abroad? It should be found out. Jo unke beneficiaries hain ,chor machaye shor...Won't let him go, as long as Narendra Modi is PM, however strong might the fugitive be, he'll be brought back.”

Reacting on the issue, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy tweeted, "I learn from my sources that the Lookout Notice issued by CBI for Mallya was modified from "Block Departure" to "Report Departure" on October 24, 2015 on orders from someone in MoF. Who? (sic)"

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, too, described as "absolutely shocking" the revelation by Mallya and asked, "Why did the finance minister hide this information till now?" "Absolutely shocking. PM Modi meets Neerav (sic) Modi before he flees the country. FM meets Vijay Mallya before he flees India. What transpired in these meetings? People want to know," Kejriwal said on Twitter.