Legal Notice for Rahul Gandhi, Kharge Over ‘Cash-for-Vote’ Accusation

Mumbai: BJP General Secretary Vinod Tawde on Friday sent a defamation notice to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate over cash for vote allegation against him. Mr. Tawde described the allegations against him as a campaign of misinformation aimed at damaging his and his party’s reputation. The BJP leader said that if Congress leaders do not apologise, he will initiate criminal and civil proceedings for the damages of Rs 100 crore.

Mr. Tawde was accused by the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi, a regional party from the Palghar district, of distributing Rs five crore to woo voters a day before the voting. Over hundred BVA workers had literally held the BJP leader hostage for more than three hours in a hotel at Vasai in Palghar district. BVA leaders claimed that they recovered bags containing cash and a dairy detailing payments done. The ECI said that a cash of Rs.9.50 lakh was recovered from the spot and it was conducting further investigations.

After the accusations from the BVA, Congress leaders alleged that Mr. Tawde was caught red handed and accused the BJP of using money to buy votes. Mr. Gandhi had demanded an explanation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding “Rs five crore” found in Mr. Tawde’s possession. Mr. Kharge also attacked PM Modi saying while he promises to keep Maharashtra safe with money and muscle power, his party’s leader was “caught red-handed with Rs five crore”.

In the notice, Mr. Tawde said, “On the eve of Maharashtra Assembly elections, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said that Vinod Tawde was caught red-handed with Rs five crores… They just wanted to defame me and my party.”

The BJP leader further said that he was seriously hurt by the baseless accusations. “I come from a regular middle-class family. For the last 40 years, I have been in politics but I have never done anything like that. Congress leaders wanted to defame me, party and my leaders so they purposefully spoke this untruth to the media and people, hence I have issued a court notice to them that they should apologise publicly or face the action,” he said.

Mr. Tawde further said that if the Congress leaders do not apologise within 24 hours, he will seek Rs 100 crore damages. The notice says, “Our client has decided to give you all an opportunity for tendering unconditional apology to our client hence; you all are hereby called upon to tender unconditional apology to our client within 24 hours… by getting the unconditional apology published in the equally bold letters in the at least three English and three Language newspapers Hindi and Marathi news paper on the front page and also transmitted on Twitter/X account etc.”