BJP Slams Congress as Manipur MP Facing Harassment Probe Gets Key Poll Roles

The Bharatiya Janata Party opened fire on the Congress high command on Wednesday after the party handed Inner Manipur MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam key campaign roles for the upcoming assembly elections despite an active police investigation into sexual harassment allegations levelled against him by 11 female students.

Akoijam, a sitting parliamentarian and Jawaharlal Nehru University professor who denies the charges, secured spots on three high-stakes organizational panels in Manipur. The appointments ignited immediate political fury across New Delhi.

The backlash was swift and coordinated. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta spearheaded the offensive, targeting Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for displaying what she termed blatant duplicity over women's safety.

Gupta invoked Priyanka Gandhi's signature electoral slogan to press the attack. "Priyanka Gandhi must answer what compulsion led to this," Gupta said. "While she claims, 'I am a girl, I can fight,' her actions today suggest, 'I am a girl, I can tolerate and remain silent.'"

The Delhi Police Probe and Anticipatory Bail Shield

A First Information Report remains registered with the Delhi Police, where investigators continue to examine complaints filed by 11 female university students against Akoijam.

Akoijam moved the court seeking anticipatory bail against potential arrest. The court disposed of the plea after Delhi Police confirmed they were not seeking his immediate detention, recording an undertaking that investigators will grant the MP seven days' advance notice should circumstances change and custodial arrest become necessary.

BJP leader Smriti Irani seized on the controversy in a public statement, targeting the opposition party's rhetoric on gender equality. She argued that the induction of a leader facing allegations from 11 university students into key election bodies unmasked the party's slogans as hollow political posturing.

Cabinet ministers widened the offensive. Union Minister Giriraj Singh took direct aim at Rahul Gandhi, declaring the opposition leadership willfully blind to crimes against women.

"They cannot even see the allegations of harassment against the JNU professor," Singh said. "Perhaps Rahul Gandhi's glasses have become faulty."

BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh demanded accountability directly from the top party brass. "By including him in its Manipur election committee, the Congress party has made a mockery of the dignity of women," Chugh said. "Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi must answer."

Congress Closes Ranks and Defends Party Appointments

Congress leaders pushed back forcefully, rejecting the accusations and turning the lens back on the ruling party.

Congress leader Udit Raj insisted that the ruling party holds zero moral authority to question internal opposition assignments, stressing that an accusation does not constitute a conviction.

"The BJP should first look at its own record," Raj said. "In this case, these are merely allegations, and the role assigned is not even a government position. They should examine their own conduct before commenting on the committee formed by the Congress for Manipur."

The organizational overhaul cleared the deck for the assembly elections due next year. As part of the restructuring, former Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh was appointed chairperson of the state election committee, while Lokeshwar Singh took charge of the campaign committee. Akoijam was embedded across both panels while also taking the reins as co-chairperson of the manifesto committee.

Police inquiries into the complaints filed by the students remain underway in the capital, with investigative teams assessing statements as Manipur's election machinery prepares for formal notification next year.