Industrialist and Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Mallya, who left the country amidst great pressure from banks to repay debts, has now claimed that he did so due to the rising intolerance in the country. Mallya’s announcement has won him scores of supporters from several journalists, liberals and intellectuals.

In an exclusive interview to India Today’s Rajdeep Sardesai, who was kind enough to overcome his tyranny of distance and meet him in a pub in London, the King of good times said, “Rajdeep, Rahul Gandhi’s absolutely right. All classes of fishermen are targeted these days. The government is using banks and other systems to target poor men in this country. For the first time, my Kingfisher calendar girls said, should we move out of India? That’s a disastrous and big statement for girls to make. They are in fear about what the atmosphere around us will be with this kind of intolerance. There is a sense of growing disquiet,” he said.

Several eminent personalities came out in support of Mallya. “The evils of capitalism are well known, but none greater than the most catastrophic evils of right-wing fascism, nationalism and patriotism that are on display in this country right now, causing such intolerance. So #IStandWithMallya,” tweeted CPM chief Sitaram Yechury. Journalist Nikhil Wagle too, fell in line, tweeting, “Move over Kanhaiya. A new revolutionary, Vijay Mallya, is born!”

JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar has promised all support to Mallya and azaadi from the intolerance once he returns to the country. Mallya has welcomed Kanhaiya’s support. “That’s great to hear, but I can’t afford to share too many beers with him, given his track record,” he said.

However, Mallya has been lambasted by actor Aamir Khan. “What rubbish is he talking? That’s a disastrous thing for him to say. India is the most tolerant country on earth. What despondency is he talking about? The only sense there is right now in India is that of awesomeness, of peace, of happiness, of goodness. I’m aghast and upset at what he said,” a tearful Aamir cried out during a promotional event of his upcoming film Dangal.

( Written by Mahesh Periyadan, with inputs from Ashwin. Mahesh tweets here )