Lalit Modi Apologises To Indian Govt For His 'Two Fugitives' Remark

In a post on X, Modi said,“I apologise if I have hurt anyone feelings especially the Indian Government who I have the highest respect and regard for. The statement was misconstrued and was never intended to be as played out. Once again my deepest apologies,” he wrote.

A video showing Modi at Mallya’s 70th birthday party, which he had hosted in London, went viral last week. In the clip, Modi was heard saying, “We are the two fugitives, the biggest fugitives of India.” The post was perceived as a mockery of the Indian government and the legal system.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in an indirect message, had stated that those wanted by law would be brought back to face justice. The MEA spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal also mentioned that they were in talks with several governments and there was a lot of legal processes involved in extraditing the offenders. However, the MEA remained committed to bringing them back to the country so that they can face trial before the courts, he said. Subsequently, Modi deleted the video and a week later apologized for his remarks.

Lalit Modi left India in 2010 after allegations surfaced against him relating to tax evasion, money laundering, and exchange for kickbacks exceeding Rs 125 crore linked to the Indian Premier League ( IPL), which he founded. The liquor baron and promoter of the Kingfisher Airlines, Vijay Mallya, fled India in 2016 after he was accused of defaulting on bank loans of around Rs 9,000 crore. He was declared a fugitive economic offender in 2019 by Indian authorities.