#MeToo: Sushma mum on allegations against M J Akbar

Unlike her Cabinet colleague Maneka Gandhi, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday chose to remain silent on the #MeToo campaign, even as Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar was also accused of sexually harassing a journalist.

Sushma did not respond when journalists asked for her comment on Priya Ramani's allegation about inappropriate behaviour.

The journalists asked the External Affairs Minister for her comment on the allegation against her junior colleague, soon after she launched an “India for Humanity initiative” at the headquarters of her ministry.

Akbar, now a BJP member in the Rajya Sabha, was also a journalist. He was the founding editor of two newspapers, The Telegraph and The Asian Age.

Priya on Monday identified Akbar on Twitter as the unnamed editor whose inappropriate behaviour with her she had written about in an article last year.

Several journalists also followed Priya and tweeted their experiences with Akbar, particularly how he always insisted on interviewing young women journalists for jobs at his hotel rooms.

Maneka on Monday supported the #MeToo campaign on social media and said that all the women coming out to call out people who harassed or assaulted them sexually should be “heard”.

Sushma, who has been very active on Twitter, however, maintained silence on the allegation against her junior colleague.

Akbar, too, did not make any comment on the allegations against him. The MEA official spokesperson also did not make any comment on the allegation against Akbar.