gfiles magazine

August 12, 2016

MJ digs into the files



Everybody knows Mobashar Jawad “MJ” Akbar as a journalist, but now he is Minister of State for External Affairs in the Narendra Modi Cabinet. MJ not only writes well but has an impeccable understanding of the media world and politics. If anybody desires to know MJ well, he must read his novel “Blood Brothers”.  The story starts with the life of the MJ’s grandfather Prayaag, who is saved and adopted by a Muslim family, converts to Islam and takes on the name of Rahmatullah. It’s a wonderful story about his grandfather who travels to Talinpada, a jute mill colony in Calcutta.  MJ has not forgotten his painful past and has those memories with him. That’s why, possibly, he has named his son Prayaag.  Apart from powerful writing skills, MJ knows the importance of political timings. In 1989, MJ was the spokesperson of the Congress Party. Rajiv Gandhi brought him to the Lok Sabha from Kishan Ganj, Bihar. MJ has travelled a long political journey and he has recently become Rajya Sabha Member from Madhya Pradesh. What is he doing in the Ministry of External Affairs? It learnt that MJ appears to be eager to promote ‘Make in India’ programme in the defence sector. Sources disclosed that he is diligently digging out all files on ‘counter terrorism’ in South Block. Afterall, terrorism has direct links with arms and ammunition and the Defence Ministry is not purchasing arms as desired by the arms lobby. MJ never does anything without reason. He is backed by a very powerful minister in the cabinet and a young prominent industrialist of Mumbai. The industrialist has just entered into defence manufacturing, import and export. From a journalist to minister appears to be a splendid journey but one has to serve his masters and, no doubt, that is tougher than writing a story. g

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