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Santanu Sinha's clarification on Amit Malviya post: 'Caution against honey trap'
Santanu Sinha claimed the Congress was spreading a "hate campaign" against Amit Malviya.
Days after BJP's IT-cell head Amit Malviya filed a defamation suit against him, Kolkata-based lawyer Santanu Sinha claimed his social media post alleging sexual exploitation of women was not aimed at tarnishing the leader's image. He said he was just cautioning the leader against being honey-trapped.
Sinha claimed the Congress was running a "hate campaign" against Amit Malviya.
“I want to give a clear message that the post was not aimed to malign Malviya but as caution not to get entangled in a honey trap, which was first brought to light by Tathagata Roy, ex-president of the State unit and former governor of Tripura,” Santanu Sinha said in a post on Facebook on Tuesday.
"No corner in the post there is any whisper about sexual exploitation of women by Amit Malviya. Rather I have there expressed my fear that Malviya will be drawn to a honey trap by the unscrupulous leaders of the party to remain clung to their post despite such debacle in the recently held election," he added.
He refused to withdraw the post, saying he hadn't written anything "untoward".
"I, a Sangha Swayam Sevak, former State Secretary of ABVP and contestant in the State Assembly election and in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation election, do not want the Bharatiya Janata Party and its office bearers get undermined in any manner by misinterpretation of my post," Sinha added.
On Monday, the Congress demanded removal of Amit Malviya from his post over Sinha's alleged post on June 7.
"An RSS member, Shantanu Sinha, related to BJP leader Rahul Sinha, has said that the BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya, has indulged in nefarious activities. He indulges in the sexual exploitation of women. Not just in 5-star hotels but in BJP offices in West Bengal. The only thing that we seek from the BJP is justice for women," Congress leader Supriya Shrinate said in a press conference.
Amit Malviya had filed the defamation suit on June 8, seeking "unconditional apology".
"The nature of allegations are extremely offensive in as much as they falsely allege sexual misconduct purportedly committed by my client. The same is fatally injurious to the dignity and reputation of my client, who, by virtue of his professional profile, is a public figure. Such malevolently malicious statements have been deliberately made to tarnish his reputation," the notice read.
With inputs from ANI
