Vijay Mallya claims meeting Arun Jaitley before leaving India, Jaitley denies it, but... 

The government must explain how and why Vijay Mallya was allowed to leave India, the Congress said Wednesday after the liquor baron claimed in London that he met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley before leaving the country.

The government, the party said, was fully complicit in the flight of people like Mallya and others from the country.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said the country wants to know what transpired during the meetings between Mallya and Jaitley.

The 62-year-old former Kingfisher Airlines boss told reporters in London that he met the minister and offered to settle with the banks.

"I left India because I had a scheduled meeting in Geneva. Before leaving I met the finance minister and offered to settle (the issue with the banks), Mallya said, without naming the minister.

Meanwhile, in a series of tweets Arun Jaitley has sternly denied the liquor baron’s claim saying that since 2014 he has not given him any appointment, and so the question of meeting him does not arise.

In one of the tweets, Arun Jaitley admits meeting Mallya in Rajya Sabha and telling him, “There was no point talking to me and he must make offers to his bankers.”

On the other hand, some opposition leaders were quick to react to Mallya’s claim demanding a response from the Central government. Former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Tejashwi Yadav tweeted:

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP chief tweeted: