Even as India officially sought the deportation of Vijay Mallya following his passport being revoked, the liquor baron has opened up about 'his side of the story,' in an interview with the Financial Times.
Here are four points from the interview.
1. Saying that he was in "forced exile," he adds that the manner in which his passport was first suspended and then revoked was "unprecedented," and was done with "extraordinary haste."
He also added:
“By taking my passport or arresting me, they are not getting any money.”
2. When asked if he was willing to go higher on his settlement of Rs 4,000 crore to the banks, he said “We have always been in dialogue with banks saying that we wish to settle," adding that "I cant give preference to some creditors alone. There are others too."
3. Speaking about the Indian media, Mallya told Financial Times:
“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.”
4. When asked about his reported debts of around Rs 9,000 crore, Mallya said that the sum was an "inflated amount" and said that the principal was only around Rs 5,000 core.
"It is grossly unjust to apply compound interest and artificially inflate this figure,” he said.
Watch his full interview with FT here.