Bollywood actor Preity Zinta on Sunday refuted claims that her Rs 18-crore loan was written off by a bank in exchange for favors to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), calling the reports “vile gossip” and “fake news” propagated by Kerala Congress.

In a strongly worded post on X (formerly Twitter), Zinta dismissed allegations that she had allowed the BJP to use her social media accounts in return for a loan waiver from New India Co-operative Bank. She asserted that the loan in question had been “fully paid back” over a decade ago.

“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,” she wrote. “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.”

The controversy erupted after the official Kerala Congress handle claimed that the actor had her Rs 18-crore loan waived while depositors struggled to withdraw their money due to recent restrictions imposed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on New India Co-operative Bank.

Earlier this month, the RBI placed a six-month moratorium on the bank, barring deposit withdrawals and new loan disbursements, citing supervisory concerns and liquidity issues. However, the central bank has since allowed depositors to withdraw up to Rs 25,000 starting February 27.

Zinta, a well-known Bollywood personality and co-owner of Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League, maintained that she had cleared her financial obligations long 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,” she added.