The legal notices were issued in response to a 19-second video clip of an interview Gadkari gave to “The Lallantop” web portal. According to Shekhar, the Congress intentionally shared the video clip out of context to create confusion and damage Gadkari’s reputation.The notices stated that the Congress’s actions were aimed at sensationalism and tarnishing Gadkari’s image, especially as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prepares for the upcoming general election under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.
“This legal notice is calling you to remove/delete the above mentioned post from your microbloging site ‘X’ forthwith and in any event, not later than 24 hours of the receipt of this legal notice, coupled with a written apology to my client within three days, failing which my client would have no other option but to take recourse to all such actions that are open to him, both civil and criminal, at your risk and expense,” it said.
The legal notice demanded the removal of the posts from the microblogging site within 24 hours, along with a written apology to Gadkari within three days. Failure to comply would result in Gadkari pursuing all available civil and criminal actions against the Congress leaders.
The notice emphasized that Gadkari’s interview was distorted and presented without its full contextual meaning. The Congress allegedly used a selective Hindi caption to misrepresent Gadkari’s words, creating a false impression of his statements.
This deliberate distortion was done deliberately and consciously using a selective Hindi caption that reads:”Aaj gaon, mazdoor aur kisan dukhi hai. Gaon mein achhe roads nahi hai, peene ke liye shudh pani nahi hai, achhe aspatal nahi hai, achhe schools nahi hai — Modi sarkar ke mantri Nitin Gadkari (Villages, labourers and farmers are unhappy today. Villages do not have roads, drinking water, good hospitals and schools — Nitin Gadkari, a minister in the Modi government).”
Despite being aware of the interview’s complete contents, Kharge and Ramesh allegedly shared the misleading video clip and Hindi caption to tarnish Gadkari’s reputation. The legal notices aim to hold them accountable for their actions.