Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday hit out at the government, asking how it had allowed liquor baron Vijay Mallya to flee the country.

Speaking to reporters, Gandhi took pot shots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying the prime minister had not answered any of the issues raised by the Congress party despite his one-hour “bhashan” in each house of Parliament.

“In the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, the prime minister gave a one-hour bhashan, but did not answer the question on Fair and Lovely scheme,” he said.

Gandhi has described the government&’s amnesty scheme on black money as a ‘Fair and Lovely’ scheme for people to convert their black money into white.

He said the scheme does not ask the person for the source of the money. “The government&’s ‘Fair and Lovely’ scheme will only help black marketeers and drug mafia to convert their black money into white,” he alleged.

“The prime minister also promised Rs.15 lakhs to each person by bringing back black money. He has done nothing,” he said, referring to Modi&’s electoral promise to people.

“I want to ask how did Vijay Mallya escape. How did a man who stole Rs 9,000 crore leave the country,” asked  the Congress vice president.

“How was this allowed when they talk about bringing back black money?” Gandhi asked.

He also alleged that the government does not want them to speak on such issues.

“The government  does not allow us to speak. The PM does not like to discuss these issues,” he said on the Mallya issue.

He alleged the prime minister does not inform the House about what he is doing, referring to the Nagaland accord and Modi&’s sudden visit to Lahore to meet the Pakistani prime minister.

“The prime minister went to Pakistan, and with one action he has spoilt everything,” he said, referring to the previous United Progress Alliance government&’s actions to isolate Pakistan over the Mumbai terror attacks.

On Wednesday, Mallya was issued notice on a petition by 17 banks to stop him from leaving India over the massive debt owed to them by his grounded Kingfisher Airlines. The government told the court that he had left last week. The amount owed by his company is around Rs.9,000 crore.

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