BJP spokesperson Smriti Irani took a strong stance against Rahul Gandhi for failing to address the dismissal of Angomcha Bimol Akoijam from JNU, who faced serious sexual harassment allegations from female students. (Pic Credit: ANI)

The BJP on Friday criticised Rahul Gandhi over his “deafening silence” following Jawaharlal Nehru University’s (JNU) dismissal of Congress MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam over sexual harassment allegations, claiming that it exposed the “hollowness” of the Congress leader’s “smash the patriarchy” slogan.Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, party national general secretary Smriti Irani said Gandhi’s silence on the matter demonstrated that the legal framework, rather than the Gandhi family, safeguards the rights and safety of Indian women.She also criticised Gandhi over his exchange of posts with Elon Musk amid a controversy surrounding Starlink’s satellite internet services in India.

JNU dismisses professor after inquiry

JNU on Friday dismissed Akoijam from service with immediate effect after an inquiry into sexual harassment allegations against him found him guilty. He was a professor at the Centre for the Study of Social Systems under the university’s School of Social Sciences.According to the news agency PTI, at least 11 female students lodged sexual harassment complaints against the professor in May this year.The complaints alleged that Akoijam invited students to his campus residence under the pretext of meetings or gatherings and attempted to sexually harass them. Some students also alleged that he made obscene and inappropriate remarks in class.

Irani questions Gandhi’s ‘smash the patriarchy’ slogan

“Recently, the former Congress president spoke about ‘smashing the patriarchy’. However, the hollowness of this rhetoric became evident through the actions of the Congress MP who was employed at a university in the national capital,” Irani said.“What is deafening is the silence of the former Congress national president,” the former Union minister said, questioning why Gandhi had not acted against Akoijam after the students levelled allegations of sexual harassment against him.Irani also referred to alleged video evidence of a recent physical altercation involving Gandhi and a female police officer in Delhi, using it to question his response to the allegations against the Congress MP.“So, for someone who himself engages in such misconduct with a female police officer, can any woman in this country expect him to take action against a Congress MP for sexual harassment?” she said.

Irani said political slogans were easy to formulate but difficult to implement, adding that people across the country were witnessing the gap between rhetoric and action.

BJP raises questions over Gandhi’s remarks on Indian state

Irani also targeted Gandhi over his alleged support for Elon Musk, claiming that this was not the first instance of a Congress leader seeking intervention from international forces in India’s democratic process.“On January 15, 2025, the former national president of the Congress stated that his fight is not against the BJP but against the Indian state. Never before in our country’s political history has a political leader declared war on the Indian state, and by extension, launched an attack on the Indian voter,” Irani said.