NEW DELHI: Union minister Smriti Irani served a legal notice to Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera on Sunday seeking their immediate apologies for their "baseless and false" allegations against her and her daughter. On Saturday, Irani had refuting all allegations had threatened to seek answer from Congress leader both in the court of country and the court of people.
On Saturday, Pawan Khera and Jairam Ramesh at a media briefing had alleged that the 18-year-old daughter of Smriti Irani runs a bar illegally in Goa and had managed to get double licenses in violation of the Goa rules under which only onelicense for bar is given.
The Congress leaders had demanded from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sack the minister immediate from union cabinet over such disclosure by them.
In the legal notice, it has been said that the Congress leaders don't tender their apologies unconditionally and immediate withdraw their allegations, civil and criminal proceedings against them can be initiated. Sources in BJP said that on Sunday that the notice has also been sent to 'Mahila' Congress leader Netta D'Souza.
"The false allegations were intended to hurt the reputation of our client as a minister and a person in public life, and also to outrage her modesty and that of her daughter," the notice said.
"The Congress leaders stooped to a new low, morally and ethically, by attacking Irani's young daughter who is in her first year at university and at the threshold of a new chapter of her life pursuing her professional aspirations," stated the legal notice sent by Irani.
It also stated that minister's daughter had never applied for license to run any bar or for any business enterprise and she has also not been served any show cause notice from the excise department in Goa as the Congress leaders had alleged on Saturday.
On Saturday soon after the Congress leaders made leveled such allegations against the minister and her daughter, the minister refuted the entire allegations saying that such "malicious" charges were made at the Gandhi family's behest due to her vocal stand in the National Herald case.