New Delhi: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has taken legal action against Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Jairam Ramesh for disseminating a 19-second excerpt from his interview on social media.
Gadkari alleges that the clip was shared with the aim of causing confusion, sensationalism, and tarnishing his reputation as a BJP leader.
Gadkari further accused the Congress party of distorting the context and significance of the interview with the deliberate intention of sowing discord and division within the party.
The legal notice sent by Gadkari’s advocate, Balendu Shekhar, reads, “While pursuing the said sinister act, my client’s interview has also been twisted, distorted, and presented on your handle ‘X’ by uploading the above video, which is bereft and devoid of contextual meaning. The same has been done deliberately and consciously with a selected piece of Hindi captions.”
The legal notice served by Minister Gadkari and sent by his advocate said, “My client is a Cabinet Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India. Being a part of the Union cabinet of the most dynamic, decisive, visionary, progressive, and powerful government that Bharat, i.e., India, has had since independence under the leadership of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, I very often interact with the press and media to highlight the deeds and accomplishments of work carried out in the present government regime. In continuation of the same series, my client gave his interview to an online platform, “THE LALLANTOP,” which is still available.”
My client is part of the National Political Party, “Bhartiya Janata Party,” which is also one of the lead components of NOA, which has formed the present Union Government, has been associated with Indian politics for the last several decades and holds a very high reputation in the general public on account of his efficacy and tireless service to the nation and the people, it said.
“My client was shocked to know, hear, and see the contents and post on the microblogging site ‘X’ from your party’s (Indian National Congress) official handle at 9:36 AM on March 1, 2024, on which you noticees deliberately posted 19 seconds of audio and visual clipping by concealing the contextual intent and meaning of the client’s interview,” it said.