New Delhi, 11 October (H.S.):

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lok Sabha MP Bansuri Swaraj on Sunday demanded the immediate suspension of Congress MP Bimol Akoijam from the party, calling for justice for 11 female students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in connection with allegations of sexual harassment.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters on Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg in New Delhi, Swaraj said, “Despite complaints emerging in May 2026, the Congress party has taken no action against the MP concerned. This has made it clear that the party provides political protection to those accused of exploiting women.”

She questioned Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, asking whether the voices of the 11 female students had failed to reach him or whether he had turned their plight into an excuse for making crude jokes.

Launching a scathing attack on the Congress, Swaraj said the dismissal of Akoijam from his position following the internal committee’s findings had exposed the party’s true character and political conduct.

Questioning the Congress’s commitment to women’s rights, she asked how a person who hesitates to acknowledge and revere Maa Bharati as an embodiment of Durga and Shakti, and speaks of fighting against Shakti, could raise the slogan ‘Smash the Patriarchy’.

“For the Congress, ‘Smash the Patriarchy’ is nothing more than political rhetoric—a convenient slogan. For the party, feminism begins with a hashtag and ends before it reaches the threshold of accountability,” Swaraj said.

She expressed surprise that the allegations had surfaced in May, yet the Congress’s senior leadership had remained silent from October 9 onwards.

Swaraj said she wanted to ask Rahul Gandhi whether respect for women was merely a slogan or an integral part of the Congress party’s policy. She alleged that the party had not initiated any internal inquiry into the matter, issued a show-cause notice to the MP concerned, initiated disciplinary proceedings against him, or begun any process to remove him from the party.

Contrasting the BJP-led government's approach with that of the Congress, Swaraj said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was working to increase women's political participation through the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, while Rahul Gandhi was allegedly extending tacit political protection to an MP facing sexual harassment allegations.

“If Rahul Gandhi genuinely wants to end patriarchy, he should stand with the female students and take action against Akoijam. He should suspend him from the party,” she said.

It may be noted that JNU constituted an internal committee to examine the allegations against Akoijam under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, commonly known as the POSH Act.

According to media reports, the committee examined all relevant facts, including the available evidence, witness accounts and statements of the complainants, before ordering Akoijam’s immediate dismissal from his position at the university.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar