Actor Preity Zinta has strongly refuted allegations by the Kerala unit of the Congress, which claimed she had an ₹18-crore loan from the crisis-hit New India Cooperative Bank written off in exchange for handing over her social media accounts to the BJP. Zinta dismissed the claims as “fake news” and “vile gossip,” asserting that the loan had been fully repaid over a decade ago.
On Monday, Kerala Congress’ official X handle shared a news report and wrote, “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.” In response, Zinta clarified on Tuesday that she personally manages her social media accounts and accused the party of spreading misinformation.
“No, I operate my social media accounts myself, and shame on you for promoting FAKE NEWS! No one wrote off anything or any loan for me,” she wrote. She added that while she had taken a loan, it was repaid in full over 10 years ago.
The Congress later stated that it was merely sharing a news report and was open to accepting any mistakes. The post also received a community note on X clarifying that Zinta had denied the allegations.
Zinta Targets Journalist Sucheta Dalal
In a follow-up post, Zinta criticized journalist Sucheta Dalal, co-founder of Moneylife, for reporting the alleged loan write-off without verification. “If you don’t value my reputation, then sorry, I don’t value yours. Next time, please call me before mentioning my name,” she wrote, adding that she was “done being the bigger person.”
RBI Action on New India Cooperative Bank
Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed strict restrictions on New India Cooperative Bank due to financial irregularities. It barred the bank from issuing new loans, renewing existing ones, accepting fresh deposits, or selling assets. The RBI also replaced the bank’s Board of Directors with an administrator for 12 months.
To ease depositor concerns, the RBI announced that account holders could withdraw up to ₹25,000 from February 27. This measure, the RBI stated, would allow over 50% of depositors to withdraw their entire balances, while others would have partial access to their funds.
The bank, which operates 28 branches, primarily in Mumbai, has been facing a financial crisis, leading to regulatory intervention.