Mallya's 1.5 lakh emails: PMO officials under UPA in CBI net

Did liquor baron Vijay Mallya receive ‘special treatment’ from members in the UPA power structure

Investigations are on to find out if undue favours were doled out to liquor baron Vijay Mallya by members in the United Progressive Alliance government. To that end, the Central Bureau of Investigation is currently scanning through some 1.5 lakh emails, the bulk of it communications between Mallya and higher officials, including those in the Prime Minister's Office during the UPA government.

In one of the aforesaid mails, Mallya writes that he is deeply appreciative of the fact that the then principal secretary in the PMO T K A Nair had immediately spoken to the concerned people in the ministries involved. A CBI officer said that they would be questioning several officials including Nair after the mails are thoroughly analysed.

Mallya writes in a mail to then finance minister, P Chidambaram, seeking his urgent intervention to facilitate a meeting between him and the State Bank of India. Mallya says that the SBI is upset with the status of the loans to Kingfisher Airlines and it is unfortunate that they refuse to even meet and discuss a way forward. He also seeks a no objection certificate from the SBI and its subsidiaries for United Spirits Limited.

The CBI is also scanning another mail written to former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh wherein he says that he is pleased with the response. He says that he followed up with Nair following which he spoke with the concerned people in the ministries involved.
The CBI says that there is a huge trail of mails and only after a thorough reading can any conclusion be drawn. It is important we understand the nature of the favour doled out before we get down to questioning people. Several officials would be called as we need a clarification on these mail. Meanwhile Nair has said that he cannot comment on the issue.

Meanwhile the BJP's Sambit Patra said that the letter written by Vijay Mallya to Dr Singh was sent to Nair and personal secretary P M Pullock Chatterjee. He said while quoting Sajay Baru's book that Chatterjee would run with all the files every evening to 10 Janpath even before the PM saw it.

OneIndia News