Congress sends legal notice to BJP leaders for Chinese agent barb against Kamal Nath

BHOPAL: Rajya Sabha MP amd eminent lawyer Vivek Tankha’s law firm on Wednesday served legal notices to BJP national vice-president Prabhat Jha and state BJP president VD Sharma for making “patently false, incorrect statements” which “were highly defamatory in nature” against former chief minister Kamal Nath.
The legal notices are related to Jha and Sharma’s recent statements alleging that Kamal Nath as Union minister for commerce and industry reduced import duties on Chinese products and the money received in return were given to the Congress party and Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.
Legal notice to Prabhat Jha drew the BJP leader’s attention to his statement of June 26, when he alleged there was a reason why the Congress party was “talking the language of China”. Jha had claimed, “It is because of Kamal Nath, who during his stint as minister for commerce and industry in the UPA government had acted at the behest of China.”
Following Jha’s statement, state BJP chief VD Sharma had claimed that Kamal Nath destroyed livelihoods of crores of small traders and manufacturers by letting Chinese firms dump their goods in the country at the behest of the Gandhi family. “The act was no less than treason and a crime,” Sharma had said.
Kamal Nath’s notice gave Prabhat Jha and VD Sharma seven days “to immediately tender an unconditional apology in writing” and issue a clarification by holding a press conference with regard to their defamatory statements failing which legal proceedings will be initiated both civil and criminal.
Speaking to TOI, Prabhat Jha said, “The Congress party should initiate the defamatory suits first with those television channels that exposed that Kamal Nath reduced import duties on Chinese goods. The revelations were made by journalists before I spoke on it.”
Prabhat Jha had claimed that Congress received money from China and the funds were sent to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation. Jha had alleged that Kamal Nath played a key role in the Congress’ entente with China. “If I say in my own language that he was working as an agent of China, I will not be wrong,” Jha had said. He claimed that Kamal Nath had reduced import duty on 250 such items which had an import duty of 100% to 200% and available in India in plenty….”
The legal notice to Jha said, “All statements issued by You against Mr Kamal Nath is a downright canard and scurrilous allegation perpetuated to wrongly benefit your party both in Madhya Pradesh and nationally by besmirching the reputation of a tall leader.” The notice further added, “Your objective to spread canard and falsehood in every nook and corner of the state of Madhya Pradesh and the country so as to discredit the Congress leadership in the eyes of the approximately 7.5 crore people of MP is writ large.”
To both Jha and Sharma, the notice alleged that the statements were made keeping the upcoming by-elections in 24 assembly seats in the state. “Your statement dated 26.06.2020 has caused irreparable injury and loss of reputation to My Client and You deliberately with malafide intent, have disseminated this false information to hurt the prospects of the Indian National Congress in the forthcoming by-elections in the 24 assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh,” notice to Jha argued.
BJP spokesman Rajneesh Agarwal said, “When we receive the legal notices, then appropriate legal reply will be given.”