YSRCP leader and industrialist Potluri Vara Prasad, the owner of PVP Ventures, on Tuesday sent a legal notice to Vijayawada MP Kesineni Srinivas accusing the latter of making defamatory statements during an interview.
The legal notice was served by Bharucha & Partners, who represent PVP. The incident relates to an interview by Kesineni Srinivas, also known as Nani, on March 26, which was later uploaded on YouTube.
“In the broadcast, our client was wrongfully, recklessly defamed with intent to tarnish his reputation and image. You baselessly alleged that our client is a cheat, an economic offender, international criminal, imposter and is guilty of fraud, money laundering and unfit to remain in society,” the notice reads.
The notice also lists out the alleged defamatory statements made by Nani.
“PVP is an economic offender... He threatens prominent actors by saying he will initiate legal action against them if they don’t give him their dates,” Nani says in the interview. “If PVP comes to power, there will be land scams in Vijayawada,” he adds later.
At one point in the interview, Nani even says, “People like PVP should be kept in jails like Andaman and Tihar jail... PVP is a blackmark on society and has no right to live in this society. PVP is an imposter and is a criminal since childhood.”
కొంతమంది పెద్దలు షో మాస్టర్లులా కాకుండా టాస్క్ మాస్టర్లులా ఉండాలి అని ఈ మధ్యనే చెప్పారు.. వారి సలహాననుసరించి ఆ షో మాస్టర్ కి టాస్క్ మాస్టర్ ఎలా ఉంటాడో చెప్పడానికి చిన్న టీజర్ వదులుతున్నాను..#PVP4Vijayawada pic.twitter.com/jt7YTSy8eV
— PVP (@PrasadVPotluri) July 16, 2019
The Vijayawada MP from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) also alleged that PVP was “instrumental” in alleged money laundering of black money possessed by Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy, through hawala transactions.
“Each of these allegations are unfounded and grossly defamatory. No such statements could have been made legitimately and it was incumbent on you not to have made such vile and baseless allegations. Our client is not involved in any criminal or fraudulent activity and his investments are legitimate. There is neither truth nor substance in the allegation that our client has blackmailed or otherwise cheated the public or anyone else,” the notice states.
“Our client has not indulged in money laundering nor in any criminal activity and no cases are pending against him in India or anywhere else. Had you acted with any degree of rectitude and propriety, you would have ascertained that there is not even an iota of truth in the assertions. The broadcast was not just sensationalism, it was malicious and with intent to expose our client to ridicule and to influence the outcome of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections,” the notice adds.
PVP was the YSRCP candidate who had fought against Nani, who is one of three Parliamentarians who were elected on a TDP ticket in the state.
The notice also demands that Nani “issue an unconditional apology with the same prominence and circulation as that of the offending publication, remove the link of the publication from YouTube and provide to our client that you will refrain from any such publication in the future.”
“You should note that failing prompt compliance, our client shall proceed at law without any further reference to you,” it concludes.
A similar notice was also sent to Telugu media outlet TV5, which carried an interview of Kesineni Nani where he made similar allegations.
My dear TV5 owners, Editors and Anchors
— PVP (@PrasadVPotluri) July 17, 2019
లా బ్రేక్ చేసే మీలాంటి మీడియా మిత్రులకు ఆ లా యొక్క పవర్ చూపించడానికి మరో చిరు టీజర్ నా తరుపున.
"Where your right ends, is where my remedy starts".
Show continues tomorrow...#PVP4Vijayawada pic.twitter.com/MOwLd3GY3q
However, Kesineni Srinivas refused to back down and said that he had seen several such empty threats.
''ప్రబుద్ధుడు ''చెప్పింది అక్షర సత్యం నంబర్ ప్లేట్లు మార్చి వ్యాపారం చేసినా ఫైనాన్షియర్లకి డబ్బులు ఎగ్గొట్టి వ్యాపారం చేసినా 88 ఏళ్ల కేశినేని ట్రావెల్స్ మూసుకునే పరిస్థితి , ఆస్తులు అమ్ముకునే దుస్థితి వచ్చేది కాదు.
— Kesineni Nani (@kesineni_nani) July 17, 2019
దొంగకి వూరoదరూ దొంగలులానే కనపడతారు.
Just earlier this week, Nani also got into a Twitter spat with Vijayawada TDP city president and MLC Buddha Venkanna.