Hyderabad: BRS working president KT Rama Rao has sent a legal notice to Union minister of state for home Bandi Sanjay demanding an unconditional apology for his remarks on drug use and phone tapping against him. KTR warned that failure to comply with it will result in a defamation lawsuit. In response, Bandi Sanjay asserted that he will not be intimidated by such threats and will respond through legal channels if KTR pursued the matter further.
The legal notice said that Bandi Sanjay must apologise within seven days and also refrain from any further defamatory actions directed at KTR or his family. KTR has contended that the accusations were made with malicious intent to damage his reputation.
The notice follows remarks made by Bandi Sanjay during a press conference on Oct 19 where he accused KTR of being involved in drug usage and phone tapping while serving as a minister. He had also alleged that KTR's father and then CM K Chandrasekhar Rao was also involved in phone tapping.
After receiving the notice, Bandi Sanjay said: "Notice was sent to me because they cannot face me politically. We don't fear them. It was he who insulted me by calling me uneducated, I responded only after that."
The Union minister further claimed everyone knows what "scams" KTR was involved and how the investigation was diluted.
Pointing out that he was a law-abiding person and respected the law, he said: "Until now I countered him word for word. Now, I will take him on legally."
BJP spokesperson Rani Rudrama slammed KTR and said political leaders should not exhibit double standards.
"If KTR makes statements against leaders of other parties, it is solely for political reasons. However, when others respond to him with pointed remarks, why does it then become a matter of prestige?" she asked.
Reacting to Bandi Sanjay's remarks that he would tackle the notice legally, KTR said, "Sanjay says he does not fear legal cases and that I served notice because I feared him. Then why did PM Narendra Modi issue legal notices to Rahul Gandhi?"