Irrigation scam: Nitin Gadkari sends legal notice, seeks apology from activist Anjali Damania

SURAJKUND: Allegations that BJP president NitinGadkari tried to cover the Maharashtra irrigation scam cast a shadow over the party national council meeting here, which attacked the UPA government on corruption.

A woman activist, Anjali Damania, had alleged that the president of an Opposition party had dissuaded her from raking up the alleged irregularities in irrigation projects in Maharashtra.

However, a public interest litigation on the issue was filed by BJP MP Kirit Somaiya. While the party rejected the charges against Gadkari, he refused to comment.

In the evening, Gadkari issued a legal notice, seeking an apology from Damania. "I give you legal notice on behalf of my client, Nitin Gadkari, to take immediate steps to retract forthwith false, baseless and defamatory remarks and also tender public apology promptly, failing which, I will be at liberty to initiate appropriate legal proceedings against you, for which you be solely responsible," said the notice sent to Damania by Gadkari's lawyer Shamshery and Associates.

"My client strongly denies the false, baseless and defamatory statement that he has any business relations with Sharad Pawar. You are making such false and baseless statements only to make sensation with the object to defame my client," said the notice.