The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday declined to comment after senior journalist Priya Ramani alleged that she was made to feel uncomfortable and harassed by Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar in a hotel room when he was the editor of a newspaper.
Responding to the charges, the Samajwadi Party called for the Minister of State to step down from office. Samajwadi Party spokesman Ghanshyam Tiwari was quoted as demanding Mr Akbar's resignation.
The Minister, who served as an editor for several leading publications over the last four decades in the country, is yet to respond to the allegation and is currently travelling in Nigeria.
Mr. Akbar is leading a 70 member business delegation to Nigeria for a business conclave. The event will conclude on Tuesday. The Minister has not posted any new comment on his social media handles over the last three days during which the controversy erupted.
The allegation against Mr. Akbar comes in the wake of a series of charges by a large number of women against leading Bollywood personalities and editors and senior journalists.