Mumbai: Maharashtra BJP leader Vinod Tawde, who is facing accusations of distributing cash to sway voters, has issued a legal notice to Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Supriya Shrinate and Rahul Gandhi. He demands an apology from them or threatens to file a defamation lawsuit worth Rs 100 crore.
Tawde’s notice comes after claims made by Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) leader Hitendra Thakur, who on Tuesday said that the BJP leader distributed Rs 5 crore at a hotel in Virar, located in Palghar district, about 60 km from Mumbai, in an attempt to influence voters.
Tawde threatens legal action
In the notice, Tawde refuted the allegations as false, baseless and driven by malicious intent. He said that unless the Congress leaders issue an apology for their statements related to the “cash-for-votes” issue, he would be forced to pursue criminal charges. Sharing a screenshot of his legal notice on X, Tawde accused the Congress of engaging in “misleading” and “low-level politics.”
A day before the Maharashtra Assembly elections, a video surfaced on Tuesday showing Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) workers entering a hotel in Palghar during a meeting between BJP leader Vinod Tawde and Rajan Naik, the BJP candidate for Nalasopara. In the video, BVA workers accused Tawde of being caught red-handed with Rs 5 crore in cash.
BVA claims Rs 5 crore cash distributed
The footage showed workers removing bundles of cash from a bag, with Tawde sitting at a distance. They also recorded the scene with their phones, taking pictures and videos of the encounter. While BVA leaders claimed that Rs 5 crore was being distributed, an election official clarified that only Rs 9.93 lakh in cash was recovered from the hotel rooms.
Tawde rejected the allegations. He said that he was only offering guidance to party workers on electoral procedures and denied any involvement in distributing money. “I’m not foolish enough to distribute cash at my opponent’s hotel,” he said, adding that the Vivanta Hotel is owned by the Thakur family. “I am not foolish to go to their hotel and distribute money there,” Tawde told reporters. In response to the controversy, police registered two FIRs against Tawde, BJP candidate Naik and others. The Election Commission also filed three FIRs against Tawde.
