SRINAGAR: Former colleagues, Jairam Ramesh and Ghulam Nabi Azad are at loggerheads once again, as Azad has slapped the Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh with a defamation notice for reportedly calling him a “slave”, “Mir Jafar” and a “vote- cutter”.
In the notice, which has been sent through Azad’s legal counsel Naresh Kumar Gupta, the DAP chief seeks compensation of Rs 2 crore from the Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh for causing damage to his “unblemished reputation”.
“That you Mr Jairam Ramesh (Notice Receiver)… always remain in search of occasion to tarnish and harm the growing dignity, respect, honour conferred upon him (Azad) at national level, by way of repeated posts in your Twitter account word ‘Ghulam’ in order to inflict injury to lower him in the estimation of others, soon after Mr Azad was honoured by Padam Bhushan Award,” the notice read.
Its pertinent to mention that earlier in January , the senior Congress leader took at jibe at Ghulam Nabi Azad’s DAP by calling it “ Disappearing Azad Party” after the exit of the leaders from the newly formed DAP.
Earlier during Bharat Jodo Yatra’s J&K leg, Ramesh had called DAP chief “Mir Jafar” and alleged that he had been propped up by the BJP to cut the Congress’ votes in J&K.
The notice emphasized that the name calling was a deliberate attempt to defame Azad in public and tarnish his image and said that the Congress General Secretary had committed an offence under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 500 ( punishment for defamation) and was liable to pay monetary compensation.
Mr Ramesh used the name “Ghulam” that translates to “slave”, deliberately and intentionally, to defame the leader in the public, Gupta said in the notice.
The notice stated that the “imputation and defamatory aspersions” remarks made against Azad in press statements were based purely on malice, and have caused the DPAP chief “mental agonies, torture, harassment” and tarnished his image, “which can’t be repaired”.
Mir Jafar, who served as the commander of the Bengal army under Siraj-ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal, betrayed him during the Battle of Plassey, paving the way for British rule in India. Since then, his name has become a synonym for “traitor.”
Gupta advised Jairam Ramesh to tender an “unconditional apology” through print-electronic media and on social media to Azad, or through any sort of communication, within two weeks from the date of receipt of the legal notice.
