New Delhi, October 14: Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar refuted allegations of sexual harassment levelled by female journalists in the ongoing #MeToo movement. Calling the allegations 'baseless' and 'wild', Akbar said he will take a legal action against accusations made against him of sexual harassment. The Rajya Sabha MP kept silence on his resignation. There was reports that he had sent his resignation via an e-mail.

"The allegations of misconduct made against me are false and fabricated, spiced up by innuendo and malice. I could not reply earlier as I was on an official tour abroad," Akbar said in a statement. "Accusation without evidence has become a viral fever among some sections. Whatever be the case, now that I have returned, my lawyers will look into these wild and  baseless allegations in order to decide our future course of legal action," he added. Vinod Dua Under #MeToo Cloud, Woman Accuses Veteran Journalist of Sexual Harassment.

Suspecting a political conspiracy ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Akbar said the allegations tarnished his image. "Why has this storm risen a few months before a general election? Is there an agenda? You be the judge. These false, baseless and wild allegations have caused irreparable damage to my reputation and goodwill," he said. The BJP leader said the charges of sexual harassment are 'distressing'. #MeToo in India: Rahul Gandhi Breaks Silence, Says 'Space Closing For Those Who Don't Treat Women With Respect'.

"Lies do not have legs, but they do contain poison, which can be whipped into a frenzy. This is deeply distressing. I will be taking appropriate legal action," Akbar, who returned from a tour of Africa earlier today, said. Several ministers had said the BJP high command that Akbar’s position in the government had become untenable. The BJP chief Amit Shah, however, on Friday said the charges against Akbar needed to be verified.

During the #MeToo campaign, more than half a dozen women journalists have accused Akbar of sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour when he was working as an editor at different media houses. On Friday, a CNN scribe Majlie de Puy Kamp accused Akbar of forcibly kissing her when she was interning with the Asian Age in 2007.

Earlier this week, FORCE magazine Executive Editor Ghazala Wahab, in an article on a news portal, wrote an account of her "harrowing experience" with Akbar. Former Mint Lounge Editor Priya Ramani, who wrote about a predatory "celebrity editor" without naming anyone in a piece last year, on Monday publicly identified Akbar as the central character of her article.

Other female journalists who have levelled allegations against Akbar include Prerna Singh Bindra, Sujata Anandan, Shuma Raha, Harinder Baweja and Anju Bharti. Akbar, however, countered their allegations in his statement.

Reacting to Priya Ramani's accusation, Akbar said, "Priya Ramani began this campaign a year ago with a magazine article. She did not, however, name me as she knew it was an incorrect story. When asked recently why she had not named me, she replied, in a Tweet: “Never named him because he didn't 'do' anything."

"If I didn't do anything, where and what is the story? There's no story. But a sea of innuendo, speculation and abusive diatribe has been built around something that never happened.  Some are total unsubstantiated hearsay; others confirm, on the record, that I didn’t do anything," he added.

Countering other women, Akbar said, "Shutapa Paul states, “The man never laid a hand on me.”Shuma Raha says, “I must clarify, however, that he didn’t actually ‘do’ anything”. One woman, Anju Bharti, went to the absurd extent of claiming I was partying in a swimming pool. I do not know how to swim."

Rejecting allegations made by Ghazala Wahab, Akbar said when he was working with Asian Age, he had a small cabin. "The only office where I worked with Ghazala Wahab was that of The Asian Age. A part of the editorial team then worked out of a small hall. At the time concerned, I had a very tiny cubicle, patched together by plywood and glass. Others had tables and chairs two feet away," the minister said.

"It is utterly bizarre to believe that anything could have happened in that tiny space, and, moreover, that no one else in the vicinity would come to know, in the midst of a working day. These allegations are false, motivated and baseless," Akbar added. He said Ramani and Wahab had kept working with him after alleged incident because "I never did anything".

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 14, 2018 03:53 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).