Nation

IIE DIGITAL DESK ; New Delhi, October 12: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday demanded that the Congress leadership clarify its position regarding allegations of sexual harassment levelled against Bimol Akoijam, a Congress MP from Manipur and a former professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Members of the BJP Mahila Morcha staged a protest outside the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee office on Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg, accusing the Congress leadership of remaining silent on the issue and demanding a clear response from the party.

The protest was organised to draw attention to allegations reportedly made by female students against Akoijam, who was a professor at JNU before his dismissal. The demonstrators called upon Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, to explain the party’s position on the matter. The BJP argued that allegations involving the safety and dignity of women should be addressed openly rather than met with silence.

Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra targeted the Congress leadership and Rahul Gandhi during the demonstration. He said women from Delhi had gathered to question why the Congress was allegedly silent on an issue involving accusations of misconduct against women. Malhotra demanded that the party explain its position and respond to the concerns raised by the protesters.

Malhotra, 11 female students at JNU had levelled allegations of sexual harassment against Akoijam. He further claimed that a university committee had found the allegations substantiated and that the professor was subsequently dismissed from the institution. These claims were cited by the BJP leader as the basis for demanding a response from the Congress leadership.

Malhotra questioned why the Congress had not made its position sufficiently clear on the allegations. He said the protesters wanted Rahul Gandhi and other senior Congress leaders to address the issue directly and explain their stand. The BJP leader sought to make the alleged silence of the opposition party a central issue during the demonstration.

The protest outside the Congress office also brought the BJP Mahila Morcha's campaign on women's dignity and accountability into the political spotlight. The demonstrators demanded that the Congress leadership clarify whether it had taken a position on the allegations and explain how it intended to respond to the concerns raised by the students.

The controversy has taken on a political dimension because Akoijam is a sitting Congress MP representing Manipur. The BJP has used the allegations to question the Congress leadership's response to issues concerning women, while calling for a public explanation from the party's senior leaders.

The allegations and the claims concerning the university committee's findings remain central to the dispute. The details presented by Malhotra reflect the BJP's position on the matter, and the allegations should be distinguished from independently established facts unless supported by official records.

The BJP demanding a clear response from Rahul Gandhi and the Congress leadership, the issue is likely to remain a point of political confrontation. The Congress's response to the demands raised during Monday's protest will be closely watched amid the continuing debate over accountability and the treatment of allegations involving women's safety.