New Delhi: The Congress on Sunday stepped up its attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the allegations of sexual harassment against Union minister M.J. Akbar, saying his silence was “conspicuous and unacceptable”.
As the #MeToo movement gathered pace over the last fortnight, the Union minister of state for external affairs was accused by several former colleagues of sexual harassment when he served as an editor at various media organisations. Responding to the allegations, Mr Akbar, after returning to the country on Sunday, said, “Allegations of misconduct made against me are false and fabricated. These false, baseless and wild allegations have caused irreparable damage to my reputation.” He further added that he will be taking appropriate legal action.
Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma addressed a press conference and questioned Prime Minister Mr Modi’s silence on the issue and said as the head of the government he should speak on the issue. “It is for the Prime Minister to speak on this issue, let the country judge its PM by his actions. So far his silence is conspicuous. This question is not only the moral authority of the government, but his own also, and the dignity of the office he holds,” Mr. Sharma said. He claimed a Prime Minister, who swears by “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” and talks of women dignity, has chosen to be silent. He added, “His silence is unacceptable. It is the head of the government who should make his views known on the issue.”
Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi asked why the BJP leader has not stepped down yet. “I wonder how over a dozen women sharing their experiences can be claimed as political conspiracy? Bigger wonder is which constituency does his stepping down impact in elections? The only clear answer is that this government is actively protecting & promoting the sexual perverts,” Ms Chaturvedi posted on Twitter.
Taking a dig at the Union minister, Congress leader Salman Soz also tweeted sarcastically, “The world conspired against MJ Akbar because he was going to be a big player in the Lok Sabha elections given his membership of the Rajya Sabha. Akbar wave was coming.”
