At least 14 women have come out and spoken about varying degrees of sexual harassment that they suffered allegedly at the hands of Mos External Affairs MJ Akbar. The incidents reportedly happened when Akbar was a journalist or an editor for various publications.
Despite the allegations, Akbar has refused to step down and has filed a defamation suit against one of the accusers. In a panel discussion for the BloombergQuint, activists, politicians and journalists debated should MJ Akbar step down as minister at least till the charges are being investigated.
Women’s rights activist Flavia Agnes slammed the BJP government for not sacking Akbar. Agnes said that even though the BJP government speaks about women empowerment and schemes like ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’, when a minister is accused, they remain silent.
Congress spokesperson Sanjay Jha said that MJ Abkbar’s strongly worded response is manifestation of someone who is adding insult to the injury.
The resident editor of The Hindu, Suhasini Haider said that since MJ Akbar is employed by the government of India, the prime minister should take actions against him.
BloomberQuint tried to reach out to any BJP leader or spokesperson to get their point of view but they refused to join the discussion.
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