#MeToo: Maneka Gandhi requests political parties to constitute internal complaints committee

New Delhi, Oct 18: In the wake of surge in sexual harassment allegations, Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi has requested all poltical parties to constitute an internal committee to look into such issues. She said political parties should create an atmosphere conducive to women.

"I wrote to every political party president,requesting them to start internal complaints committee.I think there are 6 national parties and about 90 smaller parties. It's an office,hundreds of women work there and I expect a more condusive atmosphere for them," ANI quoted Maneka Gandhi as saying.

Several women in the past few months came out in the open to level sexual harassment charges against prominent persons from fthe film industry to politics. The movement, called #MeToo, gained traction in India late in September after actress Tanushree Dutta accused Nana Patekar of inappropriate behaviour on the sets of a film they were shooting in 2008.

In October, the Minister of state for External Affairs MJ Akbar was accused of sexual harassment by several female colleagues.

Filmmakers Subhash Ghai, Sajid Khan, Rajat Kapoor and actor Alok Nath are among those who have been accused of sexual misconduct.