BJP MLA questions validity of MeToo accusations

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Usha Thakur on Monday questioned the validity of accusations made as part of MeToo campaign, saying there is no point in levelling allegations years after 'compromising on moral grounds for selfish gains'.

She asserted that the victims should file a First Information Report instead of approaching the media.

Speaking to ANI, Thakur, a MLA from Indore said, "In this context, I can only say that I advocate for women empowerment. I want that Indian women should become stronger in all fields. However, if we succeed after compromising on moral values for selfish gains, I consider that success pointless. I j ust want to say we are all with them (victims of sexual assault and molestation) and they should report the incident or bring that into light immediately."

"I am unable to understand as what significance do all the claims have now (after 5 to 10 years)? No culprit can get away from the hands of law and the constitution of this country. If the offense is proved then most strict action must be taken against the culprit, even the organization will do so. Also, Women who are taking it to media, they should go straight and file an FIR," she added.

BJP came under fire after allegations of harassment were levelled against Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs MJ Akbar, who on Monday filed a defamation case in Delhi's Patiala House Court against Priya Ramani, the journalist who alleged that Akbar sexually harassed her.