"Women scribes not so innocent to be misused"

In a statement that could possibly stir up a controversy, Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Madhya Pradesh women wing chief Lata Ketkar said that she does not consider women journalists so "innocent" that they could be misused by anyone.

This statement comes in the wake of recent allegations of sexual misconduct against Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar during his time as a journalist.

However, Ketkar also said that she welcomed the Me Too movement as it gave strength to women if they felt they had been harassed.

According to a source, senior ministers, in off-record conversations, have indicated that Akbar will have to step down once he returns to India. However, a consensus has reportedly not been achieved among the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members on whether an MoS can be ousted merely on the basis of allegations.

Akbar has come under the scanner after several of his former women colleagues accused him of sexual misconduct when he held senior editorial positions in a number of media organisations.

The slew of allegations were sparked by the #MeToo movement, which has gained momentum in the country after scores of women, from various fields of work, shared their harassment ordeals on social media platforms.