MJ Akbar | Photo Credit: ANI

New Delhi: Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs M J Akbar refused to resign despite sexual harassment allegations against him by many former colleagues during his time as an editor. Not only Akbar denied all allegations made against him in the snowballing #MeToo movement, but called them “false and fabricated, s”, he even said he would be taking legal recourse against these women.

Here are the highlights of what the tainted junior minister said:

Why has this storm risen a few months before a general election? Is there an agenda? You be the judge. The allegations of misconduct made against me are false and fabricated, spiced up by innuendo and malice. I could not reply earlier as I was on an official tour abroad. My lawyers will look into these wild and baseless allegations in order to decide our future course of legal action

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On allegations by Ghazala Wahab & Priya Ramani:

Priya Ramani began this campaign a year ago with a magazine article. She did not, however, name me as she knew it was an incorrect story. When asked recently why she had not named me, she replied, in a Tweet: "Never named him because he didn't 'do' anything." Lies do not have legs, but they do contain poison, which can be whipped into a frenzy.

It is pertinent to remember that Ms Ramani and Ms Wahab kept working with me even after these alleged incidents; clearly establishes they had no apprehension & discomfort. The reason why they remained silent for decades, is very apparent, as Ms Ramani has herself stated, I never did anything. These allegations are false, motivated and baseless. Another accusation was made repeatedly by Ms Ghazala Wahab, in an effort to damage my reputation. She claimed that she had been molested in office, 21 years ago.

On allegations by Shutapa Paul & Anju Bharti

Shutapa Paul states, "The man never laid a hand on me. Shuma Raha says, "I must clarify, however, that he didn't actually 'do' anything". One woman, Anju Bharti, went to the absurd extent of claiming I was partying in a swimming pool. I do not know how to swim. If I didn't do anything, where & what is the story? There's no story. But a sea of innuendo, speculation & abusive diatribe has been built around something that never happened. Some are total, unsubstantiated hearsay; others confirm, on the record, that I didn't do anything.