Mumbai, Oct. 30 -- Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Member of Parliament, Sanjay Raut, today ignited a major political row by defending fugitive tycoon Vijay Mallya, rejecting the "fugitive" (bhagoda) label attached to the businessman and accusing the central government of selective persecution.
Speaking ahead of the publication of his 17th book, 'Bodh Kirtan', the senior leader questioned why Mallya was denied financial concessions and forced out of the country while loans running into thousands of crores belonging to "friends of the government" were written off by state-run banks.
"People call Vijay Mallya a fugitive, but I do not agree with this," Raut said. "Who would willingly leave their own country? Circumstances forced him to leave. Eve...