Kerala: Congress asks Preity Zinta for 'proof' to 'clear the air' over ₹18 crore loan row
Zinta claimed she paid back loan from New India Cooperative Bank and said she was shocked a political party was promoting 'fake news'; Kerala Congress reacts
Bollywood actress Preity Zinta, who is in the eye of a storm for getting an ₹18 crore bank loan written off, has hotly denied the allegations and lashed out at the Kerala Congress and media outlets for spreading misinformation.
The Kerala Congress, who had earlier also accused her of handing over her social media accounts to the BJP to waive her ₹18 crore loan, responded, asking Zinta to show “proof” to back her claims and “to clear the air”.
Zinta denies claims
Zinta claimed that she had paid back the loan that she had taken from the New India Cooperative Bank over a decade ago and said she was shocked that a political party was promoting fake news.
In her social media post, Zinta said that she operates her own social media accounts her and said shame on the party for promoting fake news! “No one wrote off anything or any loan for me. I'm shocked that a political party or their representative is promoting fake news & indulging in vile gossip & click baits using my name & images," Preity Zinta stated in a post on X.
She clarified that she had fully paid back the loan over 10 years ago and hoped that will not be any more misunderstandings in the future.
Also read: Shashi Tharoor posts selfie with Union minister amid growing rift with Congress
Verify information
In another post, the 'Veer Zaara' actor said she was disappointed that media outlets failed to verify the information before publishing it. "So much misinformation going around, but thank god for social media and thank god for X!" she added. Further, she said she has seen so many "respected journalists get so many stories completely wrong & never have the decency to correct the story or apologise".
She wanted to hold media houses accountable for publishing a story before finding out if it was true.
Kerala Congress's response
Meanwhile, the Kerala Congress reacted to her post thanking her for her clarification and said they had only shared the news that was reported by media outlets.
According to the report cited by the party unit, the ex-employees of New India Cooperative Bank had written to the Reserve Bank of India in 2020, warning about alleged corruption in the bank under chairman Hiren Bhanu.
In January 2020, ex-employees of the bank warned RBI about malfunctioning operations and alleged corrupt practices in the bank. "However, RBI failed to take concrete action against the Bank in a timely manner,” says a report from a website titled IndianCooperative.com, said the Kerala Congress in their post on X.
Further the employees said that before 2010, the bank focused on small-ticket loans for priority sectors but after Bhanu took over, corporate loans of up to ₹25 crore were sanctioned without branch managers' knowledge. Major loans turned into non-performing assets (NPAs) within a year, with funds diverted through other banks...and Bollywood actress Preity Zinta's ₹18 crore loan was written off without due recovery procedures, said the report.
The Kerala Congress ended the post saying that they were standing with the depositors who had lost their savings. "If the reports are wrong, we request you to clear the air with proof once for all and raise your voice in their interest too," the party said.
Also read: Congress' Kerala unit apologises for social media post on Modi, Pope
Bank faces scrutiny
New India Cooperative bank is facing scrutiny from the Reserve Bank of India due to financial instability, said reports in business newspapers. The RBI has imposed some stringent withdrawal restrictions for depositors leading to confusion and panic among depositors. As a result, New India Cooperative bank customers were barred from withdrawing money from their accounts.
According to a report in Mint, the bank is not allowed to issue new loans or accept fresh deposits. This development comes after approximately ₹122 crore cash was found missing from two of the bank's branches during inspection.
