Actor Preity Zinta responded to allegations from the Kerala Congress that she received an Rs 18-crore loan write-off from the New India Cooperative Bank by allowing the BJP to use her social media. Zinta refuted these claims, stating that the loan was fully repaid over ten years ago, and criticized Congress for spreading “fake news” and engaging in “vile gossip.” She emphasized the importance of accountability among journalists who report misinformation. Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank of India imposed restrictions on New India Cooperative Bank due to irregularities, allowing limited withdrawals starting February 27.
New Delhi:
Actor Preity Zinta has criticized the Congress party’s Kerala unit for claiming that she secured a Rs 18-crore loan from the struggling New India Cooperative Bank forgiven after allegedly “handing over her social media accounts to the BJP”. She accused the party of engaging in “mean-spirited gossip” and stated that the loan was fully repaid over a decade ago.
On Monday, the Kerala Congress’ X account posted a link to a news report, asserting, “She gave her social media accounts to BJP and had 18 Cr written off as the bank collapsed last week… Depositors are left to fend for themselves.”
In response on Tuesday, Ms. Zinta insisted that she manages her own social media and accused the Congress of disseminating “fake news”.
“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. I’m appalled that a political party or its representatives are propagating fake news & indulging in vile gossip & click baits using my name & images (sic),” she expressed in a post.
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 &… https://t.co/cdnEvqnkYx
— Preity G Zinta (@realpreityzinta) February 25, 2025
She clarified that a loan was taken but had been repaid, stating, “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.”
The Kerala Congress’ post now has a community note indicating that “Preity Zinta has clarified from her Twitter handle that it is fake”, including a link to the actor’s statement.
Shortly after, Ms. Zinta targeted journalist Sucheta Dalal, a co-founder of Moneylife, which reportedly first broke the alleged loan write-off story. She mentioned she was no longer willing to be “the bigger person”.
“There’s so much misinformation out there, but thank goodness for social media and thank goodness for X! Throughout my career, I’ve witnessed many respected journalists get stories completely wrong & never have the decency to correct or apologize. I have also gone to court and spent a significant amount of money battling ongoing legal cases. I believe it’s time we start holding them responsible right here so there’s accountability in the future. I’m definitely going to start naming all these journalists who write articles without verifying or investigating the facts,” she added.
So much misinformation going around but thank god for social media and thank god for X ! All through my career I have seen so many so respected journalists get so many stories completely wrong & never have the decency to correct the story or apologise. I have also gone to court…
— Preity G Zinta (@realpreityzinta) February 25, 2025
“If you don’t value my reputation, then sorry, I don’t value yours @suchetadalal. Next time please call me and verify if the story is true or not before mentioning my name. Just like you, I’ve worked hard and built a reputation over the years; if you don’t care about mine, I won’t care about yours. I’m done being the bigger person. This ends here,” she remarked.
RBI Action
On February 13, the Reserve Bank of India imposed stringent restrictions on the New India Cooperative Bank due to irregularities, obstructing it from issuing new loans or renewing existing ones. The bank was also prohibited from accepting new investments or deposits and from selling its assets.
The RBI has also superseded the Board of Directors of the New India Cooperative Bank for a 12-month period and appointed a former chief general manager of the State Bank of India (SBI) as the administrator for that term.
On Monday, the central bank stated that customers would be permitted to withdraw up to Rs 25,000 from their deposit accounts starting February 27.
“The Reserve Bank, after assessing the bank’s liquidity in consultation with the Administrator, has decided to permit a deposit withdrawal of up to Rs 25,000 per depositor, effective from February 27, 2025. With this relaxation, over 50 percent of total depositors will be able to withdraw their entire balances, while the remaining depositors can withdraw up to Rs 25,000 from their accounts,” the RBI mentioned in a statement.
“Depositors may utilize both the branch and ATM channels of the bank for this withdrawal; however, the total amount that can be withdrawn will be either Rs 25,000 per depositor or the balance in their account, whichever is lower,” it added.
The bank operates 28 branches, most situated in the Mumbai metropolitan area.