New Delhi, Oct 13 Union Minister Annpurna Devi on Tuesday criticised Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi over his alleged misbehaviour with Delhi Police personnel and a woman journalist during protests, calling his conduct “shameful” and “utterly undignified”.
Talking to PTI Videos, she also slammed Gandhi for his “misbehaviour” towards police personnel, including women cops, and his “silence” over the sexual harassment allegations against Congress MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam.
“The behaviour of the leader of the opposition is completely inappropriate and utterly undignified. It is difficult to believe that a Leader of the Opposition could behave in this manner,” she said.
The minister alleged that purported visuals showed women being pushed to the ground, but no Congress worker came to help, given the conduct of their leader.
“First, Delhi Police personnel, including a woman police officer, were subjected to misbehaviour. Then, yesterday, the LoP behaved inappropriately with a woman journalist. It is certainly shameful to see this kind of conduct from a LoP,” Devi said.
Drawing a comparison between Gandhi and BJP leaders who were LoPs in the past, such as Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Sushma Swaraj, she said people used to admire their conduct when they held the post.
“People have seen a Leader of the Opposition like our revered Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji, and they have also seen Sushma Swaraj ji in that role. People admired their conduct and sought to follow their example,” she said.
The minister also questioned Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for the Congress’s “silence” on the sexual harassment allegations against Congress MP Akoijam.
“Was this slogan merely an election slogan? When our daughters are coming forward and speaking out, and all these things have come to light, the party has still not uttered a word about the MP concerned, nor has it expelled him from the party,” she said.
Devi said this showed the Congress’s “double standards and arrogance”.
“They are consumed by arrogance and seem to believe that this country is governed by a monarchy. But they must remember that India is not a monarchy; it is a democracy, and one of the strongest democracies in the world,” she said.
BJP women MPs on Tuesday met President Droupadi Murmu and sought her intervention for the suspension of Akoijam — the MP from Inner Manipur — from the Lok Sabha.
On Monday, BJP Mahila Morcha staged protests outside the Congress headquarters in Delhi demanding that the party expel Akoijam. Annpurna Devihad also participated in the protest.
The Jawaharlal Nehru University dismissed Akoijam last week after an inquiry into the sexual harassment allegations against him found him guilty. He was a professor at the Centre for the Study of Social Systems under JNU’s School of Social Sciences.
According to reports, at least 11 female students had filed sexual harassment complaints against the professor in May 2026. The complaints alleged that Akoijam invited students to his campus residence under the pretext of meetings or gatherings and attempted to exploit them sexually.
Some students had also alleged that he used to make obscene and inappropriate remarks in class.
(PTI News)
