Expressed fear if Amit Malviya will be drawn to honey trap: Santanu Sinha clarifies

New Delhi: A day after BJP IT department head Amit Malviya sent a legal notice to a Kolkata-based lawyer and RSS member Shantanu Sinha for making "false and defamatory allegations" against him, seeking Rs 10 crore as civil damages for causing "mental harassment" and an apology for it, Sinha broke his silence and claimed that he in no way intended to malign Malviya and that the entire episode was the result of a "hate campaign" by the Congress.

Taking to social media, Sinha wrote in a Facebook post, "It is a great chagrin to me that the nastiest and most corrupted political party of the country, the Indian National Congress is spreading hate campaign against Amit Malaviya and BJP."

"I want to give a clear message that the post was not aimed to malign Malviya but as a caution not to get entangled in a honey trap, which was first brought to light by Tathagata Roy, ex-president of the State unit. If my post hurts Malaviya and/or undermines my party for such misinterpretation and edited version, I do express my heartfelt sorrow for the same," he further said.

Earlier on Monday, a political row had erupted after Congress leader Supriya Shrinate, citing Sinha, had claimed that Malviya had sexually exploited women during Lok Sabha election campaign in West Bengal.

"An RSS member Santanu Sinha, related to BJP leader Rahul Sinha has said that the BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya is indulging in nefarious activities. He is indulged in the sexual exploitation of women. Not just in 5-star hotels but in BJP offices in West Bengal," Shrinate had accused in a press conference.