Union Minister Uma Bharti on sexual harassment complaints against her colleague, MoS (External Affairs) MJ Akbar: "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."


Several women, including a girl who was just 18 and intern at the Asian Age, have accused MJ Akbar of sexually harassing them when he worked as the editor of the newspaper. The Minister of State has not made any comment in his defence till now, nor is he in India. He is expected back this weekend from Nigeria.


Akbar may be asked to quit his position as a minister and work for the party as continuing to hold the portfolio has become untenable.


Union Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Minister for Woman and Child Development have also refrained from making any comment on the issue.


Textiles minister Smriti Irani came out in support of the #MeToo movement saying, "I think the gentleman concerned would be in a better position to speak. I appreciate that the media is accosting his female colleagues, but I think that it is for the gentleman concerned to issue a statement, not for me as I was not present there."


The only other minister to come out in support of the movement is her colleague Maneka Gandhi, the Union Minister for Women and Child Development. "There should be an investigation... Now that women have started speaking out, we should take it seriously," Maneka said.