Bengaluru is reeling from the tragic stampede that claimed 11 lives and left over 30 injured.
While political leaders are busy taking potshots at each other in Karnataka, hundreds of kilometres away, a sharply dressed Vijay Mallya, former RCB owner, took out time for a four-hour podcast with Raj Shamani.
On the podcast, Mallya said, “Call me a fugitive, not a chor.” And with that one sentence, he set the Internet on fire.
On the episode released Thursday, Mallya can be seen not only rejecting allegations of theft but also issuing a rare public apology for the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines.
“I apologise to everyone for the failure of Kingfisher Airlines,” he said, during what may go down as the most surprising video chunk of 2025.
As expected, politicians, industrialists and social media users did not miss the opportunity to weigh in.
Congress leader Pawan Khera took a sharp jab at the government, saying “Foreign Minister attacks Pakistan by telling it, bank fugitives flee the country after informing the finance minister. Narendra's entire system turned out to be surrendered.”
Industrialist Harsh Goenka, chairperson of the RPG Group, tried to cut through the noise with a post that read, “Vijay Mallya lived the high life, yes. Defaulted, yes. Unlike most others, his Rs 9,000+ crore dues are now reportedly settled. Meanwhile, bigger defaulters walk free with much fatter haircuts from banks. If dues remain, the banks should clearly say so. If not, why is he still a political punching bag? Justice must be fair, not selective.”
Mallya himself responded to Goenka on X, writing, “Thank you Harsh. The Union Finance Ministry has confirmed in writing that Banks have recovered Rs 14,100 crores from me against a DRT judgement debt of Rs 6,203 crores. Why the blatant discrimination?”
Enter Lalit Modi — yes, the very man who started the IPL. The former cricket administrator, and now an Indian-Vanuatuan businessman, jumped into the fray, not with criticism, but with glowing praise. “How did my good friend Vijay Mallya buy Royal Challengers Bengaluru team in the IPL created. Hear from the man himself. He was the first person to support me making the IPL blindly. Also was its biggest sponsor and has since day one been its most loyal ardent fan and followers. For which I will always be grateful. One must give credit where credit is due. Further he has always done more for the game and the fans than anyone living I know. And believe me I know better than anyone else living. You may have your bias. But I am known to call a spade a spade.”
Social media had its own meltdown.
“It’s only been six months into 2025, and we’ve already seen the India-Pak war, RCB winning the IPL and now, Vijay Mallya's podcast,” wrote one user.
Another quipped, “People thought that RCB winning the IPL would be the most surprising event of 2025... Meanwhile Raj Shamani - Hold my Kingfisher.”
And in what might be the boldest social media theory yet, a user claimed, “Vijay Mallya’s only fault was that he was born in Calcutta (West Bengal) and not in Gujarat.”
RCB might have lifted the cup, but it seems Mallya, with a mic and a moment, has stolen the spotlight all over again.
Poser on Arun Jaitley
Mallya has constantly denied allegations of fraud and reiterated that he never fled the country unlawfully, adding that he has become a convenient scapegoat in India’s political and media discourse. He called out the government for using his case as a political talking point, particularly around the elections.
“I didn’t escape. I left on a valid passport, with no legal orders stopping me,” he said, claiming he had even informed the then-finance minister Arun Jaitley of his travel plans and his willingness to settle dues with Indian banks.
While Jaitley denied any formal meeting, Mallya maintained there was a brief conversation in Parliament. “Mr Jaitley later on was forced to retract his claim after a Congress MP publicly stated that he had seen us together at Parliament on that day.”
He also referred to a news report featuring a claim by PM Modi that Rs 9,000 crore was recovered from the business tycoon. "From where did the figure come? Someone in the government must have told him this number. I wonder if there was no key governmental interest in me, there won't be any reason for the Prime Minister of the world's largest democracy to be talking about recovery from Vijay Mallya," he said, pointing to the report.
