The Congress on Wednesday said Union minister M J Akbar must either offer a satisfactory explanation on the allegations of sexual harassment against him or resign immediately.

Demanding an inquiry into Akbar’s conduct, Congress spokesperson S Jaipal Reddy said at a press conference: “I think Mr M J Akbar must either offer a satisfactory explanation or resign forthwith. How can he be in the ministry with serious allegations being levelled against him by responsible journalists who worked with him. Let there be an inquiry into it. We demand an inquiry into M J Akbar’s conduct.”

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As the #MeToo campaign gathered momentum in India, some women journalists have come out and accused Akbar, a former editor and now the minister of state for external affairs, of sexually harassing them during his stint as senior journalist.

Reddy also questioned External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s silence on the issue, saying she was evading responsibility and not prepared to comment on her subordinate.

Meanwhile, Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi has called for an investigation against Akbar, becoming the first BJP leader to say so.

“There should be an investigation. Men in position of power often do this. This applies to media, politics and seniors working in companies. Now that women have started speaking out, we should take it seriously,” Maneka Gandhi told news channel India Today when asked to comment on the allegations.

“Women are scared of speaking out thinking people will make fun of them or question their character. Now that women are speaking up we should take action on each and every allegation,” she added.

Maneka Gandhi also posted a series of tweets asking harassed women to speak up. In a tweet, she called upon people to spread the word about #SHeBox, a government initiative to file complaints against  sexual harassment at workplaces.

Other prominent names to come out as alleged sexual harassers are filmmaker Vikas Bahl, veteran actor Alok Nath, senior journalists Prashant Jha, Sidharth Bhatia, Mayank Jain, actor Rajat Kapoor, former AIB comedian Utsav Chakraborty and many more.