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.
‘This is a Litmus Test For The BJP’
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.
Three days ago, Maneka Gandhi said that she stands by all the women and more and more should come out and talk about the various degrees of harrasment that they have suffered at workplaces. On the other hand, you have a minister who is accused and he takes it to court. This is a litmus test for the BJP.Flavia Agnes, Women’s rights activist
‘Akbar’s Quote Adding Insult to Injury’
Congress spokesperson Sanjay Jha said that MJ Abkbar’s strongly worded response is manifestation of someone who is adding insult to the injury.
Who in his wildest imagination can even contemplate that one political party will discover 14 women with allegations against a minister. If we support the cause explicitly, the BJP is so crafty that they will divert attention from the core issue and cry that this is a political conspiracy.Sanjay Jha, Spokesperson, Congress
‘Govt Should Take Action’
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.
Government of India is in a sense the employer of Mr Akbar. He serves at the pleasure of the prime minister. It’s necessary for them to see what the procedure should be.Suhasini Haider, Resident Editor, The Hindu
BloomberQuint tried to reach out to any BJP leader or spokesperson to get their point of view but they refused to join the discussion.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)