Preity Zinta slams Congress, journalist Sucheta Dalal for ‘loan’ misinformation

Mumbai: Bollywood actress Preity Zinta on Tuesday directly called out journalist Sucheta Dalal in a sharply worded post on X over misinformation impacting her hard-earned reputation.

In her post, Zinta stated, “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 and spent a tonne of money fighting cases that go on & on & on. 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 that write articles without following up or investigating the stories. If you don’t value my reputation then sorry I don’t value yours @suchetadalal. Next time pls 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.”

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

The outburst comes on the heels of Zinta’s earlier denial of claims made by the Congress party’s Kerala unit. 

On Monday, the Kerala Congress alleged on X that Zinta had a Rs 18 crore loan written off by the now-collapsed New India Co-operative Bank after allegedly handing over control of her social media accounts to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). 

Zinta swiftly refuted these claims, stating, “No 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 & indulging in vile gossip & click baits using my name & images. For the record a loan was taken and FULLY PAID BACK—over 10 years ago.”

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

Dalal, a Padma Shri awardee and renowned business journalist, came to the limelight for her investigative reporting on the 1992 Harshad Mehta stock market scam. 

However, Zinta’s accusation suggests that Dalal—or journalists like her—may have published stories about Zinta without proper verification, damaging her reputation. 

Neither Dalal nor her publication, Moneylife, where she serves as Managing Editor, has issued a public response to Zinta’s allegations as of the latest updates.

The timing of Zinta’s post coincides with heightened scrutiny of the New India Co-operative Bank, which faced severe restrictions from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) earlier this month. 

On February 13, 2025, the RBI barred the Mumbai-based bank from issuing new loans, borrowing funds, or allowing withdrawals for six months, citing supervisory concerns and liquidity issues. 

This crackdown followed reports of financial irregularities, including an alleged Rs 122 crore fraud involving the bank’s former general manager, Hitesh Mehta, and a businessman, Unnathan Arunachalam. 

Zinta’s history of confronting misinformation lends credibility to her current stance. In 2003, she testified in the high-profile Bharat Shah underworld case, facing death threats after accusing the film financier of links to the Mumbai underworld. Despite others retracting their statements under pressure, Zinta remained steadfast, earning praise for her courage but also enduring years of legal battles.

On the work front, Zinta is preparing for her comeback with the film Lahore 1947, co-starring Sunny Deol and his son Karan Deol, set to release later this year.