#MeToo: Akbar returns home, says will issue statement (Lead)

New Delhi : Union Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar, accused of sexual harassment by several women journalists, returned to India on Sunday and said he will issue a statement over the allegations.

Replying to a volley of questions from reporters gathered at the airport, the Minister said: "There will be a statement later on." He refused to say anything more.

Since October 7, the Minister, a writer and a former Editor of Sunday magazine and Asian Age newspaper, has not tweeted from his account.

It is believed that Akbar, a former Congress MP who later joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is to call on External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

As the #MeToo campaign gained momentum, about half a dozen women journalists accused Akbar of sexually harassing them when he was the Editor.

The opposition has demanded his resignation.