Anil Ambani sends legal notice to Cong over Rafale deal

After two letters addressed to Congress president Rahul Gandhi on the Rafale deal, Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence has now sent a legal notice to Congress national spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill asking him to refrain from making unverified, frivolous and defamatory statements on the deal.

The notice is in the form of a cease and desist letter that asks Shergill and Congress to stop spreading "misinformation" about Reliance Defence.

In the notice, Anil Ambani alleges that Congress leaders Randeep Surjewala, Ashok Chavan, Sanjay Nirupam, Abhishek Manu Singhvi and others have been making incorrect, frivolous and misleading statements about him and his group. Legal notices were sent to these leaders but they did not respond, the cease and desist notice says.

The group has now decided to pursue the matter in court against each of them.

The notice sent to Shergill says that though political leaders have the right to freedom of expression, and raise issues of national importance, their statements should be made with responsibility and after verifying all facts.

Ambani says that it appears that the Congress is running a "vilification campaign" to the behest of corporate rivals to "deliberately besmirch our reputation".

The Congress had recently appointed Shergill as a member of its task force to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party over the Rafael Deal. IndiaToday.in had reported about this on August 18 and Ambani says the notice is being served after he read the report.

Meanwhile, Reliance Defence has filed defamation suits against Surjewala, Chavan and others after the leaders failed to respond to the notices sent earlier.