Preity Zinta also flayed a senior journalist whose NGO was among the first to report on the alleged loan write-off. (Credit: Facebook/@officialpz)Bollywood star Preity Zinta has entered into a war of words with the Kerala unit of the Congress party after it accused her of having a Rs 18-crore loan from the New India Cooperative Bank written off in exchange for handing over the control of her social media accounts to the BJP. The bank is currently embroiled in a Rs 122-crore financial scam. Dismissing the claims as false, Zinta asserted that the loan in question had been “fully paid back” over a decade ago.The controversy erupted when the official X (formerly Twitter) account of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) posted a screenshot of a video news report by The Savera Times titled “Rs 18 crore loan to Preity Zinta and others written off by New India Cooperative Bank”. In the caption, KPCC alleged, “She gave her social media accounts to BJP and got 18 Cr written off and the bank collapsed last week. Depositors are on the streets for their money. (sic)”Also Read | John Abraham says it’s ‘mental’ that stylists get paid Rs 2 lakh per day, believes entourage costs are ‘bleeding’ the film industry: ‘How much more will you suck the system dry?’Responding to the post, Zinta firmly refuted the allegations, while emphasising that she personally manages her social media accounts. “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 and clickbait using my name and images. 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.”She later also flayed a senior journalist whose NGO was among the first to report on the alleged loan write-off. “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 respected journalists get so many stories completely wrong and never have the decency to correct the story or apologise. I have also gone to court and spent a tonne of money fighting cases that go on and on and on.”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, 2025She continued, “I think it’s time we start holding them responsible right here so there is some accountability in the future. I’m definitely going to start naming all these journalists who write articles without following up or investigating the stories. If you don’t value my reputation then sorry I don’t value yours, Sucheta Dalal. Next time please call me and find out if the story is true or not before mentioning my name. Just like you, I have spent years working hard and building a reputation so if you don’t care about mine I don’t care about yours. I’m done being a bigger person. This ends here.”In connection with the New India Cooperative Bank scandal, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai police had recently arrested its former CEO Abhimanyu Bhoan for allegedly embezzling Rs 122 crore from the bank’s safe. Prior to this, the bank’s former general manager Hitesh Mehta had also been arrested, along with his accomplice Dharmesh Paun, a developer, who helped him route the misappropriated funds.Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.© IE Online Media Services Pvt LtdTags:Congresspreity zinta