Sagar: The government cannot comment of the issue, said Union Minister Uma Bharti on the sexual harassment charges levelled against Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar.
Bharti said the matter only concerns MJ Akbar and the complainants.
“The matter is of the times when he was not a part of the Central Government. So, it is a matter between MJ Akbar and the women. Government can say nothing on this,” Bharti said.
According to a source, senior ministers, in off-record conversations, have indicated that Akbar will have to step down once he returns to India.
However, a consensus has reportedly not been achieved among the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members on whether an MoS can be ousted merely on the basis of allegations.
Akbar has come under the scanner after several of his former colleagues accused him of sexual misconduct when he held senior editorial positions in a number of media organisations.
The slew of allegations were sparked by the #MeToo movement, which has gained momentum in the country after scores of women, from various fields of work, shared their harassment ordeals on social media platforms.
Earlier today, the Ministry of Women and Child Development announced it will be setting up a committee comprising of senior judicial and legal persons to examine all issues tumbling out from the #MeToo movement.
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]