CM Rekha Gupta Slams Congress Over JNU MP's Sacking
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
A Congress MP dismissed from his professorship over alleged sexual harassment at one of India's most prestigious universities — and the party's top leadership has said nothing. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta called out that silence sharply on Friday, October 9, 2026, targeting Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi by name.
In a pointed Hindi post on X, CM Gupta wrote: 'On stage it is 'Smash the Patriarchy,' but when questions are raised about your own party, it becomes 'Smash the Accountability'!' She was referring to the dismissal of Congress MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam from his JNU professorship following serious allegations that he sought sexual favours from female students in exchange for grades.
The Akoijam Dismissal and What Triggered It
Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, a sitting Congress MP, was a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi before his dismissal. The allegations against him — that he attempted to sexually exploit female students in exchange for marks — are among the most serious that can be levelled against a faculty member. His removal from the professorship followed those accusations. No formal statement has emerged from the Congress party addressing the charges or the sacking.
Gupta's Charge: Feminism 'Only for Social Media'?
CM Gupta's attack is surgical in its framing. She contrasts the Congress leadership's vocal public feminism — long speeches on women's dignity, social-media banners, campaign slogans — with what she calls a wall of silence the moment accountability lands at their own door. 'Rahul Gandhi ji, is feminism only for social-media performance, or does it apply inside the Congress party too?' she asked pointedly. The rhetorical force rests on a simple contrast: words versus action, slogan versus accountability.
The post's reference to 'Smash the Patriarchy' echoes imagery Congress leaders have used at public rallies and youth events, making the juxtaposition deliberate and direct. Gupta's closing question — 'Chuppi kyun sadhe baithi hai Congress?' (Why is Congress maintaining this silence?) — frames the absence of a response as a political choice, not an oversight.
Why the Silence Carries Weight
For a party that has positioned gender justice as a core electoral pitch — particularly in urban constituencies and among young voters — the optics of silence on a sitting MP's harassment-linked dismissal are difficult to manage. CM Gupta's intervention ensures the story stays in political circulation and pressures the Congress leadership to either defend, distance, or condemn. Any of those three responses carries its own political cost.
Whether Congress chooses to respond, and how, will now define the next chapter of this episode — because the question has been asked in public, with names attached.