Union minister Smriti Irani has sent a legal notice to Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera, asking them to apologise for their "baseless and false" allegations against the BJP leader and her daughter.

Irani's action came a day after the Congress leaders alleged that her 18-year-old daughter Zoish Irani ran a bar illegally in Goa and also targeted the minister over this, demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi sack her from his Cabinet. If they do not tender an unconditional and unequivocal apology and withdraw their allegations, Irani will initiate civil and criminal proceedings against them, the legal notice said. The notice has also been sent to 'Mahila' Congress leader Netta D'Souza and the Congress party. "The false allegations were intended to hurt the reputation of our client as a minister and a person in public life, and also to outrage her modesty and that of her daughter," the notice said.