New Delhi, Oct 11: The BJP on Sunday launched a fresh attack on Rahul Gandhi, asking why the Congress has not taken any action against its party MP and professor Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, who was recently dismissed from JNU on a sexual harassment charge.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters here, party MP Bansuri Swaraj asked Gandhi whether 'nari samman' was just a slogan for his party and not a policy.
Swaraj also targeted Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, saying their silence on the issue indicates they are "consenting and condoning" Akoijam's alleged "sexually predatory conduct."
"Rahul Gandhi, this nation calls you out for your selective outrage, your motivated stance and for your false narrative," Swaraj charged.
"If 'smash the patriarchy' is not a motivated stance and not mere political rhetoric for you, then take action against your MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam," she demanded.
The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Friday dismissed Akoijam from service with immediate effect after its inquiry into the allegations found him guilty. He was a professor at the Centre for the Study of Social Systems under JNU's School of Social Sciences.
According to reports, at least 11 female students filed sexual harassment complaints against the professor in May this year.
The complainants alleged that Akoijam invited students to his campus residence under the pretext of meetings or gatherings and attempted to sexually harass them. Some students had also alleged that he used to make obscene and inappropriate remarks in class.
Swaraj said the silence of the Congress leadership, including Gandhis, on such a "serious issue" has exposed their "duplicity".
"The Congress has not set up any internal inquiry into the matter, or served any show cause notice to Akoijam so far. The party has not yet started any process to suspend him or take disciplinary action against him," she said.
