India, March 26 -- A fiery debate erupted in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday as opposition leaders accused the Modi government of writing off crores in loans of wilful defaulters, while leaving banks burdened with massive non-performing assets (NPAs). Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil cited official data claiming that the government has written off Rs.87,000 crore owed by 50 wilful defaulters, including controversial names like Mehul Chokshi and Rishi Agarwal. He questioned why these fugitives are given relief, while small traders and farmers face harsh recovery actions and auction of assets.

Echoing similar concerns, TMC's Saket Gokhale slammed the government, stating that while common people are borrowing just to repay old loans, Indian ba...