Prove your allegations or face legal action: Folk singer Malini Awasthi sends legal notice to Congress leader Gaurav Pandhi for defaming husband

NEW DELHI: Renowned folk singer Malini Awasthi has sent a legal notice for defamation to Congress' National Coordinator for social media Gaurav Pandhi for defaming her husband Awanish Awasthi who is an IAS officer and currently serving as that UP Additional Chief Secretary.

Malini Awasthi took to Twitter on Wednesday and warned Pandhi to either unconditionally apologise or face legal action. 

#सत्यमेवजयते
यह है मेरा लीगल नोटिस! @GauravPandhi pic.twitter.com/E4d4TvCNun — मालिनी अवस्थी (@maliniawasthi) May 20, 2020

Slamming Gaurav Pandhi over the incendiary attack against her family, Malini alleged that the Congress party worker was maligning her for his dirty politics. “You have run out of arrows in your quiver of dirty politics by maligning a woman who has worked hard for 48 years,” she said on Twitter.

अपनी इस बात का प्रमाण दो या फिर वैधानिक कार्यवाही के लिये तैयार रहो @GauravPandhi
एक स्त्री के 48 वर्षों के परिश्रम को दुर्भावना से देखने वाले,तुम्हारी घिनौनी राजनीति के तरकश में तीर कम पड़ गए तो इस नीचता पर उतर आए?मेरे पति के चरित्र व ईमानदारी की मिसाल पूरे प्रदेश में दी जाती है https://t.co/XGxQnhSOQk

— मालिनी अवस्थी (@maliniawasthi) May 19, 2020

Malini’s reaction came shortly after Pandhi made an incredulous allegation that UP Additional Chief Secretary Awanish Awasthi was acting like a BJP member because his wife Malini Awasthi was earning crores of rupees by conducting hundreds of shows for the UP government. 

Pandhi made these allegations in a tweet on May 19.

UP Addl Chief Secretary @AwasthiAwanishK is behaving like BJP's Shakhaboy, against poor migrant workers. Is it because his wife Malini Awasthi does hundreds of shows for UP Govt and hence earning crores from BJP Govt?

Their bank account statements won't be surprising at all! pic.twitter.com/ht3iNABNuf — Gaurav Pandhi (@GauravPandhi) May 19, 2020

Reacting to it, Malini Awasthi stated that it was high time to stop taking this humiliation.

The renowned folk singer reiterated that a question had been raised on her as well her husband's integrity. Awarded the Padma Shri in 2016, Awasthi is known for her stellar work in Hindi, Awadhi, Bundelkhandi, and Bhojpuri languages. 

She said, "I have sent a legal notice. He should either unconditionally apologise or I am going to the court. He should be facing. I have written that truth should prevail. I want to see what their reaction is. I want the world to see that a party which talks about women empowerment- this is what they actually think about women."

All this happened shortly after it emerged that the list of 1000 buses sent to the UP government by Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra contained registration numbers of three-wheelers, ambulances and trucks.

Dragging Malini into the migrant workers’ crisis, Congress IT cell in-charge Gaurav Pandhi made a personal attacks against country’s noted folk singer Malini Awasthi. 

Attacking Malini Awasthi and her husband Awanish Kumar Awasthi, who is currently Uttar Pradesh’s Additional Chief Secretary, Pandhi said that senior IAS officer was behaving like ‘BJP’s Shakhaboy’ against the poor migrant workers.

Pandhi insinuated that her husband was acting in such a way because the folk singer has done hundreds of shows for the Uttar Pradesh government and earning crores from the BJP govt. 

Pandhi said that bank accounts of Awasthis will not be surprising, implying that senior IAS officer Awanish Awasthi had amassed huge wealth from favouring the BJP.