File image of Srinivas BV. Image courtesy: iyc.in
New Delhi: Congress youth wing’s national president Srinivas BV has sent a defamation notice to Assam Youth Congress chief Dr Angkita Dutta.
In a press statement issued by IYC national media in-charge Varun Pandey on Tuesday, the IYC accused Dutta of using “utterly unparliamentary, undignified, defamatory, malicious words” against Srinivas BV.
The entire exercise of “publically maligning and defaming” Srinivas BV is politically motivated, and is absolutely false and baseless, the statement said.
“Dr Dutta has resorted to using utterly unparliamentary, undignified, defamatory, malicious words against Srinivas BV and has levelled totally sexist, chauvinistic, false, frivolous allegations against him. The IYC legal cell has taken a strong, stringent legal action and therefore IYC National President Srinivas BV has sent a Criminal Defamation notice to Dr Angkita Dutta in view of the same,” the release stated.
IYC Legal Cell National Chairman Roopesh Singh Bhadauria stated that Dutta was appointed as Vice-President of Assam PYC in June 2018 when Kamrul Islam Chaudhary was PYC President.
Later on, in accordance with the resolution passed by IYC for 33 per cent reservations for women in the organisation, she was nominated as PYC Assam President in November 2021 and remained in the post till membership of IYC was announced in Assam to induct new leaders in the state organization, the release stated.
The release added, “Since her tenure was over, and after the declaration of State PYC election she was not discharging her duties competently, she started raising baseless allegations against National Secretary Vardhan Yadav, IYC I/C of Assam PYC which were never fructified and she has constantly refrained herself from participating and cooperating with the inquiry committee set up by the IYC Leadership to probe the allegations made out by her. Such acts clearly reflect the falsity of the charges”.
Levelling the accusations further, Bhadauria stated, “It is also a matter of public knowledge that Dr Dutta’s name has come up in Sharda Chit Scam Fund and ED / PMLA cases. It is also reliably learnt that Dr Dutta is in constant touch with the Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and has been undertaking this exercise of maligning and defaming simply to create an atmosphere of leaving the Congress party with an objective to join the BJP, the ruling dispensation at the State and the Centre and consequently to have a closure of these cases”.
Meanwhile, Dr Angkita Dutta had earlier accused Srinivas BV of harassing her for the past six months, discriminating against her for “being a woman” and using foul language to destroy her image.
Speaking exclusively to Firstpost, Angkita Dutta had said she felt disappointed in her party’s leadership for not taking any action against Srinivas BV despite knowing full well what was going on. “I went to Jammu to participate in the Bharat Jodo Yatra and had then, in person, apprised Rahul Gandhi about the misdeeds of Srinivas BV. I expect my leadership to stand by women, but I am appalled at the high command’s inaction.”
Angkita Dutta claimed that her harassment started after she raised her voice against the mismanagement of Indian Youth Congress affairs by Srinivas, which also included discrimination against her since “I am a woman”.
“He went on saying that I am an alcoholic. He undermined my existence because of being a woman. At the Rampur session, I was going inside the Mayfair hotel to meet seniors, while Srinivas was on his way out. As he crossed me he asked: ‘What alcohol do you drink? Do you text after drinking?”. Two of my colleagues were witness to this, Angkita claimed.