New Delhi: Junior Foreign Minister M.J. Akbar has resigned from the Union Cabinet following allegations of sexually harassing women during his days as a senior journalist, sources said this morning.

Akbar, who returned from an official trip to Nigeria, sent his resignation to Principal Secretary Nripendra Mishra and has sought time to meet External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

According to government sources, Akbar’s position had become “untenable” after multiple women spoke out against him as part of the MeToo movement, which has seen big names from the field of literature, entertainment, journalism and advertising being shamed for alleged sexual harassment. Sources added that other ministers had been complaining about being asked to comment on Akbar at every public event.

While the Bharatiya Janata Party has maintained a studied silence on the matter so far, party sources said the charges against him are serious. There is also a view within the party that there is no legal case against him, and allegations pertain to a time long before he became a minster. BJP chief Amit Shah is currently on a two-day tour of poll-bound Madhya Pradesh.

Akbar was first called out by journalist Priya Ramani, who had last year written about his alleged inappropriate behaviour for a magazine without taking his name. She confirmed this week that the allegation was against Akbar.