Tejashwi Yadav's defamation notice 'intimidatory legal tactic': JD(U) leader

Patna: JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar, who was recently slapped with a defamation notice by RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, has accused the former deputy chief minister of Bihar of "intimidatory legal tactic".

Kumar, a member of the state legislative council and a former minister, replied to the notice dated October 24 on Monday, copies of which were shared with the media on Tuesday.

In the six-page reply, Kumar's lawyers have contended that the notice, running into eight pages, was "nothing but an attempt to browbeat" and "an intimidatory legal tactic to overawe and silence those who highlight the illegalities and irregularities committed by your client".

Yadav had taken exception to the JD(U) leader's charge that the former deputy CM had been, in election affidavits, under-reporting his income, claiming it to be lower than the emoluments he got as a member of state legislature, which was tantamount to a "salary ghotala".

Sticking to his guns, the ruling party MLC has demanded that Yadav, now the leader of the opposition in the assembly, withdraw the notice and issue "a public apology for trying to suppress his right to freedom of speech and expression".