The Congress sharpened its attack on Union minister MJ Akbar following his return to India amid sexual harassment allegations leveled against him by multiple women, demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi spell out his stand on the issue.
“The PM’s silence is conspicuous. The silence raises questions on the dignity of the PM’s office. The country has been waiting for days for PM Modi’s to clear his stand on this,” Congress leader Anand Sharma said at a press conference.
Akbar, a former journalist, returned from an official trip to Nigeria on Sunday morning and dodged a volley of questions from reporters at the Delhi airport. Around 2pm, Akbar left for a meeting with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.
According to government sources, Akbar’s position has become “untenable” after multiple women spoke out against him as part of the #MeToo movement, which has seen big names from the field of literature, entertainment, journalism and advertising being shamed for alleged sexual harassment. Sources added that other ministers have been complaining about being asked to comment on Akbar at every public event.
While the Bharatiya Janata Party has maintained a studied silence on the matter so far, party sources said the charges against him are serious. There is also a view within the party that there is no legal case against him, and allegations pertain to a time long before he became a minster. BJP chief Amit Shah is currently on a two-day tour of poll-bound Madhya Pradesh.
Akbar was first called out by journalist Priya Ramani, who had last year written about his alleged inappropriate behaviour for a magazine without taking his name. She confirmed this week that the allegation was against Akbar.
