BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde on Friday served a legal notice to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and national party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate for making “baseless allegations” against him after he was allegedly caught distributing cash for votes on the eve of the Assembly elections in Maharashtra. While Tawde had denied the allegations, the Opposition had accused him of resorting to unethical means by disbursing money to influence elections in favour of the BJP. The notice sent by Tawde’s lawyer said the Congress leaders should “apologise unconditionally to Vinod Tawde within 24 hours of receiving the notice”, and get the apology published in at least three English and three regional language newspapers and on X. The notice further threatens that a criminal case and civil proceedings worth Rs 100 crore would be initiated if the Congress leaders failed to comply. In a post on X, Tawde said, “The only work of Congress is to spread lies! I have sent a defamation notice to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate in the false Nallasopara case because they have tried to malign my image and that of the Bharatiya Janata Party by spreading lies in this matter…the truth is clear — the alleged ₹5 crore was never recovered in the investigation by the Election Commission and the police.” The case exposed the Congress’s “low-level politics and their desperate attempts to mislead the nation”, Tawde said, adding that the BJP “stands tall, backed by truth and the people's trust!”. A day before polling on November 20, Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) activists alleged Tawde and other BJP activists were distributing money in a hotel in Vasai-Virar. The BVA activists had encircled Tawde and sought an explanation from him. A video that purportedly showed BVA workers shouting and waving Rs 500 notes was also circulated at the time. Though the BVA could not directly substantiate the charges, the incident left the BJP red-faced on the eve of elections. Tawde had staunchly denied all the charges as baseless. Senior BJP leaders had also rallied around Tawde, denying the charge of money distribution as part of the Opposition’s design to undermine the image of the party and its national general secretary.
