Apologise or I'll sue: BJP's Vinod Tawde's notice to Rahul Gandhi, 2 others

BJP's Vinod Tawde said he demanded an apology from Congress's Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Supriya Shrinate for their remarks against him in the 'cash-for-votes' row or he would be forced to initiate criminal proceedings against them.

In Short

• Vinod Tawde demands apology from Rahul Gandhi, others over 'cash-for-votes' row
• He says allegations are false and baseless
• Tawde is accused of distributing Rs 5 crore in cash before polls

Maharashtra BJP leader Vinod Tawde, accused of distributing cash to influence voters, has sent a legal notice to Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Supriya Shrinate and Rahul Gandhi over the controversy, and demanded their apologies or face a Rs 100-crore defamation case.

Tawde's legal notice came after regional party Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) leader Hitendra Thakur on Tuesday accused the BJP leader of distributing Rs 5 crore at a hotel in Virar in Palghar district, 60 km from Mumbai, to woo voters.

In the notice, Tawde said the allegations against him were false, baseless and made with malafide intentions. He said he demanded an apology from the three Congress leaders for their remarks against him in the 'cash-for-votes' row or he would be forced to initiate criminal proceedings against them.

Attaching a screenshot of his legal notice on X, Tawde accused the Congress of "spreading lies" and misleading the country with their "low-level politics".

The Congress's only agenda is to spread lies. I have filed a defamation case against Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and their party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate for their baseless allegations in the Nallasopara case. Despite their attempts to tarnish my image and that of the BJP, the truth is clear. The alleged Rs 5 crore was never recovered in the investigation by the Election Commission and the police," he said.

"This case exposes the Congress's low-level politics and their desperate attempts to mislead the nation. The BJP stands tall, backed by truth and the people's trust!" he added.

A day before the Maharashtra Assembly polls, a video went viral on Tuesday showing BVA workers storming into the hotel in Palghar during a meeting between Tawde and Rajan Naik, the BJP candidate from the Nalasopara seat. The BVA workers alleged that Tawde was caught red-handed with Rs 5 crore cash.

The workers, in the video, were seen taking out bundles of cash from a bag, while Tawde was sitting at a distance. They also took pictures and videos of him on their phones.

Amid claims by BVA leaders that Rs 5 crore cash was distributed, an election official on Tuesday said Rs 9.93 lakh cash was recovered from the hotel rooms.

Tawde denied the allegation, saying he was only providing guidance to party workers on poll procedures and said he was not stupid enough to distribute money at his opponent's hotel. "The Vivanta Hotel is owned by the Thakurs. I am not stupid to go to their hotel and distribute money there," he told reporters.

Police on Tuesday registered two FIRs against Tawde, BJP candidate Naik and others in connection with the controversy. The Election Commission filed three FIRs against Tawde.

(with inputs from PTI)