'Absconder' Vijay Mallya can't play victimhood card: BJP

New Delhi [India], Jan. 27 (ANI): Lashing out at liquor baron Vijay Mallya for rubbishing the SEBI's allegations of indulging in fraudulent activities, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday said the former cannot play the victimhood card when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is clearly going after everyone who is absconding. Asserting that Mallya's businesses were built on public funds in terms of bank loans, BJP leader Nalin Kohli told ANI that if they have gone bad then the liquor baron should be able to explain what the reasons are. "You can't play the victimhood card when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is clearly going after everyone who is absconding. If you don't cooperate with the agencies yourself there is no right for you to say that you have a right to say you are a victim in it," he added. Dubbing Mallya as an 'absconder', Kohli said as a citizen the former has every right to come and present his case before the court. "Go and cooperate with the investigating agencies and if he has any merits in this case he should be able to present it. Instead, he has chosen to run away. At the same time while he is talking of setting up of businesses he probably will be more remembered in the recent past for having large-scale celebrations for his personal events and releasing calendars while people, ex employees of his organizations were committing suicides for lack of salaries," he added. Mallya yesterday rubbished the SEBI's allegations of indulging in fraudulent activities and said that he is getting used to these witch hunts coming from all directions with no legal basis whatsoever. "Allegations of fund diversion out of USL are baseless. USL accounts were approved by top Auditors, an eminent Board of Directors in shareholders," Mallya said, adding this shows what government machinery can do. Mallya, who has been accused of diversion of funds from Kingfisher Airlines, tweeted, "CBI alleges diversion of funds OUT of Kingfisher Air. SEBI alleges diversion of funds from USL INTO Kingfisher Air. What joke is this?" "For 30 years I built the world's largest spirits company in India's largest brewing company. Also launched the finest Airline. This is what I get?," he added. Earlier on Wednesday, market regulator SEBI barred Mallya from the stock market for fraudulently diverting about Rs. 1,881 crore from United Spirits (USL) to various other entities within the UB Group, including now grounded Kingfisher Airlines (KFA). It also instructed USL to report to SEBI, within 21 days, about the action it has initiated against Mallya, Capoor and others. Along with Mallya, SEBI also barred another six people including Ashok Capoor and V K Rekhi, both former MDs of USL from the market. Capoor has also been barred from directorship of any listed company. (ANI)