Sexual harassment: Why #MeToo storm before Lok Sabha polls, asks M J Akbar

Modi and BJP President Amit Shah have decided to back Akbar despite RSS second-in-command Dattatreya Hosabale coming out in support of the #MeToo movement

Union minister M J Akbar, facing charges of sexual harassment that go back to his time as newspaper editor, has not only refused to step down but insinuated that the approaching Lok Sabha elections had a bearing on the allegations.

Speaking on Sunday after his return from his official visit abroad, he said he would take legal action against the women who had alleged sexual harassment by him.

Akbar’s holding out, sources in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said, stemmed from the seeming support he received from the party leadership. However, the sources also said Akbar was likely to be