Rajeev Chandrasekhar accuses Shashi Tharoor of defamation, sends legal notice

Accusing his rival Shashi Tharoor of making defamatory statements and spreading false information about him on a TV channel, Union minister of state for information technology and electronics Rajeev Chandrasekhar has sent a legal notice to the Congress MP.

Chandrasekhar, who is facing off against Tharoor in the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency in the upcoming polls on April 26, has alleged that the Congress MP disseminated "patently false information" that the BJP leader was bribing key voters and influential figures such as parish priests, among others.

The notice has claimed that the statements by Tharoor were made with an intent to harm Chandrasekhar's reputation and image and that his remarks also disrespected the entire Christian community of Thiruvananthapuram and its leaders by accusing them of engaging in cash-for-votes activities.

It has also contended that the Congress MP's statements were in violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).

The notice also claimed that the statements were also targeted at injuring the BJP leader's election campaign and benefitting Tharoor in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

The legal notice to the Congress leader has sought that he "immediately withdraw" all the allegations made against Chandrashekhar on April 6, tender an unconditional public apology to him on print and electronic media and to "cease, refrain and desist from defaming, harassing, hampering the reputation" of the minister in the future.

It has warned that failure to comply with the stated conditions within 24 hours of receipt of the notice would lead to initiation of appropriate criminal and civil proceedings in a competent court of law. 

(With inputs from agencies)