The Kerala unit of the Congress party has urged Bollywood actor Preity Zinta to provide evidence countering reports that claim she handed over her social media accounts to the BJP in exchange for having an Rs 18 crore loan written off. The party also called on her to speak up for depositors who have lost their money.

Taking to X, Congress Kerala highlighted the struggles of depositors who have been left in distress after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) dissolved the board of the New India Co-operative Bank on February 15, citing financial irregularities. The post referred to media reports alleging that a loan of Rs 18 crore taken by Preity Zinta and others had been written off by the bank.

Responding swiftly, the actor dismissed these claims as "vile gossip" and "clickbait," asserting that she had repaid the loan in full over a decade ago.

In a follow-up post, the Congress unit asked Zinta to provide proof of repayment, reiterating their stance in support of depositors who lost their savings. The party pointed out that reports had surfaced suggesting that former bank employees had raised red flags about alleged corruption as early as 2020, with Zinta's name also being mentioned in these allegations.

Zinta further lashed out at journalist and Moneylife founder Sucheta Dalal, declaring that she was no longer willing to be the "bigger person." Expressing frustration over misinformation in the media, she took to social media to voice her concerns about journalists publishing unverified reports.

"So much misinformation is spreading, but thankfully, social media and platforms like X exist! Throughout my career, I’ve seen respected journalists get stories wrong and never correct them or apologize. I’ve spent a lot of money fighting legal battles that drag on indefinitely. It’s time to hold them accountable. From now on, I will start naming journalists who publish articles without proper investigation," Zinta wrote.

She directly addressed Sucheta Dalal, stating, "If you don’t value my reputation, I won’t value yours @suchetadalal. Next time, please verify a story before mentioning my name. Like you, I have worked hard to build a reputation. If you don’t care about mine, I don’t care about yours. I’m done being the bigger person. This ends here."

The exchange has further fueled discussions on the accountability of media reports and political allegations, keeping the controversy alive on social media platforms.