Vinod Tawde sends legal notice to Congress leaders, demands apology or faces Rs.100 crore defamation suit

BJP leader Vinod Tawde has sent a legal notice to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, and national spokesperson Supriya Shrinate, demanding an apology for their accusations regarding his involvement in a cash-for-votes scandal in Maharashtra. Tawde has given the Congress leaders a 24-hour deadline to issue an unconditional apology, failing which he has threatened to initiate defamation proceedings, including both criminal charges and a civil suit for damages of Rs 100 crore.

The allegations surfaced on November 19, when Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA), a regional political party, accused Tawde and BJP members of distributing Rs 5 crore to sway voters ahead of the November 20 Maharashtra Assembly elections. According to BVA activists, Tawde was present in a hotel room in the Vasai-Virar area, where they claimed BJP workers were caught handing out money. Video footage allegedly showed BVA members waving Rs 500 notes during the incident. However, BVA could not directly link Tawde to the money distribution, and there was no evidence to substantiate the claims.

Tawde, who is a former Maharashtra minister and BJP national general secretary, has denied the charges. In his statement, Tawde emphasized that no money was recovered by the Election Commission or police during their investigation into the incident. He stated, "The alleged ₹5 crore was never recovered in the investigation by the Election Commission and the police." Tawde condemned the accusations as part of an opposition strategy to undermine the BJP’s reputation and distract from the party’s electoral efforts.

The legal notice sent to the Congress leaders asserts that the allegations were fabricated with malicious intent. Tawde's lawyer stated, "You all have deliberately, mischievously with the sole intention of damaging the reputation of our client intentionally fabricated the story." The notice further criticized the Congress leaders for spreading these false claims without verifying facts and for attempting to malign Tawde’s image and that of the BJP.

The notice demands an immediate and public apology from Kharge, Gandhi, and Shrinate within 24 hours of receipt. The apology must be published in at least three English and three regional language newspapers, as well as on X (formerly Twitter). If the Congress leaders fail to comply, Tawde has warned that he will pursue criminal defamation charges under Section 356 of the Indian Penal Code and civil proceedings for damages of Rs 100 crore. The legal notice indicates that Tawde is prepared to take all necessary legal steps to protect his reputation and hold the Congress leaders accountable for the defamatory accusations.