Congress leaders received official notice from Smriti Irani regarding "baseless and false allegations" made against her daughter

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• Jul 24, 2022 | Poonam Nath

Irani's action came a day after Congress leaders accused her 18-year-old daughter Zoish Irani of illegally running a bar in Goa. 

Digital Desk:  Union minister Smriti Irani issued a legal notice to Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera on Sunday, requesting that they apologize for their "baseless and false" allegations against the BJP leader and her daughter.

Irani's action came a day after Congress leaders accused her 18-year-old daughter Zoish Irani of illegally running a bar in Goa and also targeted the minister, demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi remove her from his Cabinet.

Irani will initiate civil and criminal proceedings against them if they do not tender an unconditional and unequivocal apology and withdraw their allegations, according to the legal notice.

Netta D'Souza, leader of the 'Mahila' Congress, and the Congress party have also been served with the notice.

The notice included, "The false allegations were intended to harm our client's reputation as a minister and public figure, as well as to offend her modesty and that of her daughter."

According to Irani's notice, Congress leaders "stood to a new low, morally and ethically," by attacking Irani's young daughter, who is in her first year of university and on the verge of a new chapter of her life pursuing her professional aspirations.

"As collateral damage, the addressees (Congress leaders) seek to cruelly mar, jeopardize, and prejudice our client's (Irani) daughter's aspirations through their inhumane, insensitive, and false narratives," it said.

"The addressees' insistence on invoking our client's value systems concerning her'sanskar' is an effort to make our client and her young daughter social outcasts by proclaiming that by "running" a bar, our client and her young daughter are women of shame," it said.

It claimed that Zoish Irani had never requested a license for "running" a bar or any other type of business and that she had never received a show cause notice from the Goa excise department, contrary to claims made by Congress leaders.

According to the statement, "These allegations are sought to be sensationalized and magnified by a series of innuendos and suggestive statements that not only damage the reputations of our client and her daughter but also attempt to outrage their modesty."

It claimed that these accusations were made with knowledge of their falsity or, at the very least, carelessly disregarding the truth.

The Congress called for Irani's dismissal on Saturday, alleging that her daughter was operating an illegal bar in Goa. The minister, however, said the "malicious" accusation was brought against her at the Gandhi family's request because of her outspoken stance in the National Herald case and vowed to fight it.

On Sunday, members of the Youth Congress demonstrated in front of the Goa restaurant that Congress claims is run by her daughter.