Former Chhattisgarh Congress Committee in-charge and Lok Sabha candidate from Sirsa Kumari Selja issued defamation notices to 11 BJP leaders from Chhattisgarh for accusing her of shielding alleged coal and liquor scams in the state.

The allegations were leveled against the Congress during a recent press conference in Sirsa.

The recipients of the notices were associated with the Congress party before defecting to the BJP. Selja asked all of them to either publicly apologise within two days, or prepare for legal action to be taken against them. However, the BJP leaders remained defiant, brushing aside the notices as inconsequential.

Among those served with the notices are several prominent former Chhattisgarh Congress officials and leaders, including Chandrashekhar Shukla, Shishupal Shori, Pramod Sharma, Vani Rao, Anita Ravate, Tulsi Sahu, Chauleshwar Chandrakar, Usha Patel, Alok Pandey, Ajay Bansal, and Arun Singh.

In her legal communication, Selja demanded retractions and apologies within the stipulated timeframe, citing defamation and slander. The accused BJP leaders were entrusted with key responsibilities during the Sirsa Lok Sabha elections.

During the aforementioned press conference in Sirsa, the BJP leaders from Chhattisgarh accused Selja of nepotism and favoritism in the selection of candidates, alleging that merit was compromised in favour of monetary considerations.

The BJP leaders stated that their aim in Sirsa was to apprise the voters about these allegations. They questioned the integrity of Selja despite being a vocal critic of corruption within Congress.

Former mayor and Chhattisgarh BJP leader Vani Rao swiftly dismissed Selja’s contention after receiving the notice. She said a number of Congress leaders and their associates have been summoned by government agencies for their alleged involvement in coal and liquor scams in Chhattisgarh.

Rao alleged that every member of Congress is aware of this clandestine group. She further alleged that as an active general secretary at the time, Selja chose to maintain silence and never addressed these issues at any forum.

Vani Rao argued that Selja’s silence reflects her tacit approval and complicity in the nefarious nexus. She called for a thorough investigation against all the beneficiaries of such activities by the agencies. She added that the response to the notice would be conveyed through legal representation.

Chhattisgarh PCC spokesperson Sushil Anand Shukla dismissed the accusations against Kumari Selja from the newly inducted BJP leaders as baseless. He emphasised that unless apologies are issued promptly, appropriate actions would be initiated against all the leaders. Shukla reiterated the unwavering support of the Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) to Kumari Selja.