Union minister M J Akbar, on Sunday, rejected allegations of sexual misconduct levelled against him by multiple women and threatened to take legal action against them.
The Minister of State for External Affairs issued a statement, trashing the allegations, hours after he returned from a trip to Africa. “Allegations of misconduct made against me are false and fabricated. These false, baseless and wild allegations have caused irreparable damage to my reputation,” he said in the statement.
Akbar further said his lawyers will look into these “wild and baseless” allegations, and questioned why this storm has risen a few months before a general election.
Union Minister M J Akbar returned amid mounting demand for his resignation over allegations of sexual harassment by a number of women journalists in the last few days. Akbar is one of the most prominent people who have been named in the #metoo movement that has swept India over the past one week. Accounts of misbehaviour during his days as a celebrated editor in prestigious newspapers had swept social media.
The Congress on Sunday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to break his silence over his ministerial colleague. “It was equally the duty of the Prime Minister, Constitutional duty and moral duty, to speak. Why the Prime Minister has chosen to be silent is the fundamental question. Tell the country what your views are,” Congress leader Anand Sharma said on Sunday.