Preity Zinta SHAMES Kerala Congress over Rs 18 Cr loan; says, “It’s fully paid back”

Actor Preity Zinta has strongly criticized the Kerala unit of the Congress party for alleging that she received an Rs 18-crore loan from the troubled New India Cooperative Bank written off in exchange for “giving her social media accounts to the BJP. Zinta labelled the accusations as “vile gossip” and clarified that the loan was repaid in full over a decade ago. The Congress party later clarified that it was merely sharing what had been reported.

Preity Zinta SLAMS at Kerala Congress Party for Rs 18 cr loan

On Monday, the Kerala Congress shared a post on X, citing a news outlet that claimed, She gave her social media accounts to BJP and got Rs 18 crore written off, and the bank collapsed last week… Depositors are on the streets for their money. In response, Zinta accused the party of spreading misinformation.

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 &… https://t.co/cdnEvqnkYx

— Preity G Zinta (@realpreityzinta) February 25, 2025

On Tuesday, she asserted that she independently manages her social media accounts and condemned the Congress for promoting fake news. “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 shocked that a political party or their representative is promoting fake news and indulging in vile gossip using my name and images,” she posted.

Clarifying the situation, Zinta acknowledged that a loan was taken but emphasized it was fully repaid more than ten years ago. “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.”

Kerala Congress Party responds

The Kerala Congress’s post now includes a community note stating, “Preity Zinta has clarified from her Twitter handle that it is fake,” along with a link to her statement.

Preity Zinta criticises fake news

Shortly after her initial remarks, Zinta directed further criticism towards journalist Sucheta Dalal. She is a co-founder of Moneylife, which initially reported the alleged loan write-off. She expressed her frustration at the misinformation circulating about her and stated she would start holding journalists accountable for inaccuracies.

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

“So much misinformation going around, but thank god for social media! Throughout my career, I have seen respected journalists report stories completely wrong and never correct them or apologize. I think it’s time we start holding them responsible so there is accountability,” she wrote.

Preity Zinta added, “If you don’t value my reputation, then sorry, I don’t value yours @suchetadalal. Next time, please call me to find out if the story is true before mentioning my name. This ends here.” In response, Kerala Congress acknowledged that Zinta’s name was included in news reports. They also thanked her for the clarification regarding her loan status.

What happened?

On February 13, the Reserve Bank of India imposed severe restrictions on the New India Cooperative Bank. Cited irregularities, which included prohibiting it from issuing new loans and accepting deposits. The RBI also superseded the bank’s Board of Directors for 12 months. They have appointed a former State Bank of India chief general manager as the administrator.

Also Read: Preity Zinta tells netizens to take a ‘chill pill’; pens a frustrated note saying, “Don’t ask me why I married Gene Goodenough?”