SENSATIONAL: Siddaramaiah issues defamation notice to PM Narendra Modi and BJP, says 'apologise or pay hundred crores'

Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah has sensationally issued a legal notice to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP party president Amit Shah, former Karnataka CM BS Yeddyurappa and the BJP as a whole for criminal and civil defamation.

The notice, which has been exclusively accessed by Republic TV, claims the following:

• In his political career of close to 50 years, Siddaramaiah has always maintained personal and political integrity and honesty.
• That the people/entities against whom the notice has been issued have intentionally and maliciously made knowingly false and defamatory statements against him.
• BJP has published defamatory advertisements against Siddaramaiah in mass and social media.
• PM Modi has "unabatedly made several defamatory and untrue statements in his speeches in Karnataka during the election campaign." It states in as many words, that the PM had said "Karnataka ki Congress sarkar 10% ki Sarkar hai" and cites the "ease of doing murders" attack. It adds that PM Modi had alleged that "Yahan pe scams or mafia ka nanga naach chal raha hain (here there is a naked dance of scams and mafia)" and that Siddaramaiah's government is a "Seeda Rupaiya Sarkar". 

READ | Did UPA clear Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah's meeting with an alleged fraudster whom the SFIO had declared a 'national threat'?

It also mentions the Hublot watch over which a controversy has broken out, saying the following:

"My client had received the watch from his friend as gift and he has paid required tax for it and on the floor of the Karnataka Assembly declared the source of the watch and handed it over to the Honourable Speaker to treat the same as an asset of the state. Accordingly, the said watch is the asset of the state and the same is placed in the Cabinet Hall."

It also accuses the BJP stating the following in its advertisements about the Siddaramaiah government:

• "The government that has turned all areas into hell
• The government that has not stopped the murder of patriots
• The government that has broken up society
• The corrupt government with fake fortunes
• The state government's "anna bhagya" scheme as "Kanna Bhagya" (loot Bhagya)
• A government that protects all hoodlums
• A government that has sacrificed/killed farmers."

The notice finally calls upon them to cease and desist from making such statements and issue an unconditional public apology, failing which they would be liable to civil and criminal action and payment of exemplary damages of Rs 100,00,00,000. (Rs One Hundred Crores)

Here is the notice:

The notice comes with just days to go before the critical elections in Karnataka.