BJP lauds Modi govt, attacks UPA after UK court orders Mallya's extradition

The BJP Monday hailed the Narendra Modi government after a UK court ordered extradition of fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya to India and hit out at the UPA dispensation, claiming maximum loans were given to him under it.

BJP leader and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters that the entire record of the UPA was to give "maximum patronage" to defaulters like Mallya and forcing the banking system to give loans to them and restructure the money they owed to banks.

"It is a great day in pursuit of fight against corruption against those who flee from the clutches of law by siphoning thousands of crores of bank money. The decision to extradite Mallya is based on strong evidence and, most importantly, shows the effective and robust willpower of the Modi government to pursue these elements," he said.

Prasad also referred to the recent extradition of Christian Michel, an alleged middleman in the VVIP chopper deal being probed by the CBI, and said these developments underscored Modi's determination in pursuing probity and fighting corruption.

Attacking the Congress-led UPA government, Prasad noted that Modi had used the term "phone banking" to described calls by senior government functionaries used to banks between 2008-14 to restructure the loans given to defaulters.