London: Embattled tycoon Vijay Mallya has said that he is in a “forced exile” and disclosed no immediate plans to return to India where things are flying at him “fast and furious”.
Mr Mallya, whose passport was revoked this month, said that he wants a “reasonable” settlement with creditor banks for his defunct airline, but they “are not getting any money” by taking his passport or arresting him.
“I definitely would like to return to India. Right now, things are flying at me fast and furious. My passport has been revoked. I don’t know what the government is going to do next,” he told the Financial Times.
Mr Mallya, 60, said he remains an Indian patriot, who is “proud to fly the Indian flag”, but as the outcry around him continues, he is more than happy to stay safe in the UK and has no plans to leave that country.
“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,” he said in what FT termed as a four-hour interview in Mayfair, Central London. The Indian government on Thursday wrote to Britain seeking his deportation of the liquor baron.
Mr Mallya said he was “absolutely not guilty of any of these preposterous charges of diverting funds from Kingfisher, buying properties or stuff like that”.
The government, he said, can appoint the world’s best forensic auditor to audit the accounts of Kingfisher and audit how banks loans were utilised. “I am sure they are not going to find anything, because that’s the truth.” He said he has always maintained that “notwithstanding anything else”, he was interested in settlement with Kingfisher bankers.
