JOIN US#MeToo: The 'Akbar' Nama
The #MeToo storm has spared none, and among the biggest names is Mobashar Jawed Akbar, the Minister of State for External Affairs.
A celebrity-journalist, Akbar is an alumnus of the Presidency College, Kolkata. Akbar launched India's first weekly political magazine Sunday in 1976 and two English dailies, The Telegraph (1989) and The Asian Age (1994).
He also founded a weekly newspaper, The Sunday Guardian. Akbar has written several non-fiction books, including a biography of Jawaharlal Nehru, 'The Making of India', and a book on Kashmir, 'Kashmir, Behind the Vale'.
Soon, Akbar turned his attention to full-time politics. His first tryst was with the Congress as its spokesperson in 1989. He went on to become an MP from Kishanganj in Bihar.
In 2014, when the country was under the "Modi wave", Akbar turned his attention to the BJP and was appointed its spokesperson. He was later made a Rajya Sabha MP from Jharkhand and also appointed the junior minister to Sushma Swaraj in the Ministry of External Affairs.
Just when things seemed smooth, the #MeToo movement hit India and several women came out and accused Akbar of sexual harassment, the first among them being journalist Priya Ramani.
The minister, however, has rejected all allegations as false and baseless and even questioned the motive as it has come at a time when the country is gearing up for the general elections.
How the whole issue is going to pan out only time can tell.