Rahul Gandhi after Vijay Mallya's claim triggered political uproar. (File)
Congress president Rahul Gandhi Wednesday demanded an immediate probe into the "extremely serious" allegations made by fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya and said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley should step down till the investigation is over.
Mr Mallya, facing charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to around Rs 9,000 crore and fighting an extradition case, told reporters in London that he met the finance minister before leaving India and offered to settle with the banks.
"Given Vijay Mallya's extremely serious allegations in London today, the PM should immediately order an independent probe into the matter. Arun Jaitley should step down as Finance Minister while this probe is underway," Mr Gandhi tweeted.
Mr Jaitley, however, rubbished Mr Mallya's statement, saying he never gave him an appointment since 2014 but the liquor baron misused his position as Rajya Sabha MP to accost him in Parliament.