In an unprecedented development involving a Prime Minister, Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee has shot off a libel notice to Narendra Modi accusing him of making derogatory and wildly fabricated remarks against him and demanding unconditional apology within Monday.
The legal notice marking the crescendo of a polarized and stormy electoral season addresses the Prime Minister saying, “your speech, punctuated by false malicious and defamatory content, was an embodiment of political calculation and mischievous intent. Your imputations were deliberate and mala fide, perpetrated though thinly veiled references of bhatija (nephew) and didi while being fully aware that Mamata Banerjee is referred to as didi and my client is her only nephew.”
The Prime Minister had a couple of days ago attacked Abhishek — also the nephew of the Bengal Chief Minister — from an election rally at Diamond Harbour saying intoxicated by power the ‘nephew’ had illegally occupied some buildings from where he ran his office.
Modi had launched a vitriolic attack on the Chief Minister and her nephew, accusing them of running the “bua-bhatija model of governance” and turning “gantantra” (democracy) into “gundatantra” (hooliganism). “We are fighting against the atrocities of Trinamool as people are fed up with them,” he said.
The junior Banerjee is also the outgoing Banerjee from Diamond Harbour where he is engaged in a multi-pronged contest against CPI(M)’s Fuad Halim and BJP’s Nilanjan Roy.
Banerjee had earlier demanded an apology from the Prime Minister failing which a libel notice would be sent to him. The notice demands an apology from the Prime Minister within 36 hours or face legal action.
Abhishek is pitted against the BJP's Nilanjan Roy. The PM had campaigned in Roy's support on Wednesday.