Former Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy on Monday threatened to sue Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his "cut money" charge, rejecting it as baseless and asking him to prove it or apologise to people.
A day after Shah accused him of giving 'cut money' to the Gandhi family from Central funds meant for the union territory, the senior Congress leader said he will file a criminal defamation case against the minister, adding he was ready to face any probe in the matter.
Narayanasamy, who resigned along with his cabinet on February 22 after losing majority in the wake of resignations of Ministers and MLAs, alleged BJP had been 'toppling' Congress governments, such as in Arunachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. "Amit Shah's statement that the Narendra Modi government gave Rs 15,000 crore to Puducherry and that I gave it to the Gandhi family (by cut money) is absolutely baseless and far from truth," he told a press meet here.
"I challenge Amit Shah. Can you prove your allegation? I am ready for any probe. You are Home Minister. You have IT, ED, IB. Why have you not taken action..who sent the Rs 15,000 crore when. When did the Prime Minister send it?" he asked.
At a public rally in Karaikkal, an enclave of Puducherry on Sunday, Shah said over the years, the Centre had granted around Rs 15,000 crore funds to the UT and asked if the money had reached the people in the villages there, to which the audience responded in the negative.
"So where did the Rs 15,000 crore given by Narendra Modi government go. Narayanasamy made cut money out of it and sent it in service of the Gandhi family in Delhi," Shah alleged.
Narayansamy claimed Shah 'lied' on the matter. "I wish to tell the Home Minister--I am going to file criminal defamation (case) against you. I am going to send notice. I am ready for any punishment if he proves his allegation or else he has to publicly apologise," he said. Narayanasamy said the BJP was targeting the Gandhi family to bring disrepute to it and especially attacked Rahul Gandhi since "he is challenging" the party. He claimed Puducherry under his leadership faired far better on indicators including economic growth and law and order and had even won Central government awards. Claiming that attempts to 'topple' his government were going for long, even when Shah was the BJP chief, he said the Congress thwarted all attempts before it fell last week.
On the controversy surrounding his alleged wrong translation to Gandhi of a woman complaining about his government, the former CM said he had not heard her but could only hear the word 'Nivar' (cyclone that impacted the UT last November) and told that he had actually rushed to the place soon after the landfall of the weather system.
The BJP, along with opposition AINRC and the AIADMK "spread lies" over the issue, which was even highlighted by Prime Minister Modi and Shah during their recent election rallies, he alleged. On the issue of non-conduct of local body polls, over which he has come under attack from the BJP, he sought to blame former Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi for it, saying she had stuck down the appointment of the official appointed by the UT government to conduct the elections.