After Bollywood actress Preity Zinta slammed the Kerala unit of Congress for spreading “fake news” about getting her loans written off and giving her social media accounts to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the party requested the actress to “clear the air” with proof.
The controversy began when the official X (formerly Twitter) account of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) shared a screenshot of a video news report by The Savera Times, titled “Rs 18 crore loan to Preity Zinta and others written off by New India Cooperative Bank.” In the caption, the party alleged, “She gave her social media accounts to BJP and got 18 Cr written off and the bank collapsed last week. Depositors are on the streets for their money.”
Expressing 'shock' over a political party "promoting fake news" and “indulging in vile gossip”, the actress pointed that the loan was "fully paid back" over a decade ago.
“No I operate my social media accounts my self and shame on you 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," the actress said in a post on X.
“For the record a loan was taken and FULLY PAID BACK - over 10 years ago. Hope this clarifies and helps so there are no misunderstandings in the future," she added responding to the post of Congress’s Kerala unit.
The bank is mired in a massive Rs 122-crore financial scam.
Kerala Congress responds:
In response to the actor’s post, the Kerala Congress said on X, “Good to know you're managing your own account, unlike other celebs who have handed theirs over to the notorious IT cell. Thanks for the clarification, @realpreityzinta regarding your loan position. We are glad to accept mistakes if we have made any.”
The party also urged her to provide proof to clear the air. “We are standing with the depositors who 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,” it said.
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