Vinod Tawde BJP Send Rs 100 Crore Def…

Last updated:November 22, 2024, 4:40 PM IST

Vinod Tawde was accused of trying to bribe voters on the eve of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, sparking a political storm.

Tawde BJP accused Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge of making ‘false and baseless’ allegations. (PTI)

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vinod Tawde on Friday sent a Rs 100 crore defamation notice to Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Supriya Shrinate for allegedly trying to bribe voters, which he and the BJP denied.

The cash-for-votes row created a political storm on the eve of the Maharashtra Assembly elections as Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) leader Hitendra Thakur accused Tawde of distributing cash to try to attract voters.

“Kharge, Gandhi and Shrinate said that Vinod Tawde was caught red-handed with Rs 5 crores distributed to voters. They only want to destroy me and my party. I am very hurt. I come from an ordinary middle class family. I have never done such a thing in 40 last year, I have joined politics. The Congress leaders want to destroy me, my party and my leadership, so I have deliberately lied to the media and people, so I have given a notice to the court to apologize publicly or face the action,” he told ANI news agency.

‘Baseless Accusations, Mala Fide’: Tawde

In the notice, Tawde accused the Congress leaders of making false and baseless allegations about the distribution of money “with the sole aim of damaging the prospects of the party” and himself. perform duties as an official of the Congress party.

“All the imputations made by you are completely false, baseless, malicious and mala fide,” the notice read, adding that Tawde was not involved in such illegal activities and knew his duty as a responsible official in national politics. feast.

Tawde demanded an unconditional apology from Gandhi, Kharge and Shrinate within 24 hours, failing which would initiate criminal proceedings.

What Did Kharge And Rahul Gandhi Say?

As the controversy erupted, Rahul Gandhi joined in to take a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the saffron party. “Modiji, from SAFE is this 5 crores from whom? Who looted public money and sent you with tempo?” Lok Sabha LoP said in a post on X.

Congress President Kharge also accused PM Modi of making Maharashtra “SAFE” through money power and muscle power. red-handed with Rs 5 crore in cash,” he said in X.

Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate also joined the bandwagon, accusing the BJP, its allies and the “Mahajhoothi ​​Sarkar” of misusing power and resources to woo voters.

About the Cash-For-Vote Row

Hitendra Thakur’s allegations against Tawde for allegedly distributing money to woo voters at Hotel Vivanta in Virar, Palghar district, ahead of the polls for the Maharashtra elections, sparked an uproar with strong reactions from several political parties.

“Some BJP leaders told me that BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde will come to Virar to pay Rs 5 crore to influence the voters. I thought a national leader like him would not neglect such a trivial task. But I saw him here. I requested him. Election Commission to take action against him and BJP,” Thakur said.

The Election Commission took a total of Rs 9,53,900 in cash from the hotel where Tawde was staying and closed the premises amid protests by BVA workers demanding immediate arrest of Tawde. Police said three FIRs have been filed so far at Tulinj police station for violation of Model Code of Conduct, alleged cash-for-votes scam, and illegal press conferences by BVA and BJP.

The BJP backed Tawde, with spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi accusing the MVA of making “baseless allegations” as a last-ditch effort before the Maharashtra elections.