• Source:JND
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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vinod Tawade on Friday sent a Rs 100 crore defamation notice to Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, and Supriya Shrinate, in response to their allegations of attempting to bribe voters, which both he and the BJP strongly denied.

"Kharge, Gandhi and Shrinate said Vinod Tawde was caught red-handed with Rs 5 crores which he was distributing to voters. They just wanted to defame me and my party. I am seriously hurt. I come from a regular middle-class family. I have never done anything like that in the last 40 years, I have been in politics. Congress leaders wanted to defame me, party and my leaders so they purposefully told these lies to the media and people, hence I have issued a court notice to them that they should apologise publicly or face the action," Tawade told ANI.

A cash-for-vote row erupted a day ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly Election with Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) chief Hitendra Thakur accusing Tawade for giving cash in exchange of votes to voters.

Vinod Tawade Called The Allegations 'Baseless'

Tawade, in his notice, claimed that the Congress leaders made malicious and groundless allegations of money distribution, intending to undermine both the party’s and his own chances. He also condemned them for failing to verify the facts before making such accusations and for not fulfilling their roles as Congress office bearers.

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"The entire imputation made by you all are totally false, baseless, malicious and mala fide," the notice read. It also refuted claims of Tawade's involvement in any illegal activity.

Congress' Reaction On Cash-For-Vote Row

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi reacted to the ongoing controversy, taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and wrote on X, "Modiji, from whose SAFE did these 5 crores come? Who looted the public’s money and sent you in the tempo?".

Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge attacked PM Modi accusing him of making Maharashtra "safe" through money and muscle power.

"On one hand, there is a deadly attack on the former Home Minister of the state, on the other hand, a senior BJP leader is caught red-handed with Rs 5 crore in cash," he wrote on X.

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Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate also weighed in, accusing the BJP, its allies, and the "Mahajhoothi Sarkar" of abusing power and resources to sway voters.