#Metoo movement hits Modi govt, minister M J Akbar accused of sexually harassing female journalists
M J Akbar
New Delhi – Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar has been accused of sexual exploitation. Two women journalists have accused Akbar of this charge. The MeToo Movement is currently seeing a new explosion in the country. Several women have come forward to name and shame their exploiters who include Bollywood actors, Comedians, Editors. Now opposition has demanded Akbar’s resignation.
Priya Ramani tweeted, “I began this piece with my MJ Akbar story. Never named him because he didn’t “do” anything. Lots of women have worse stories about this predator—maybe they will share.”
She further added, “It was #MJAkbar I do not say this lightly..i know the consequences of false accusations &it has been now 17 yrs &i have no concrete proof. but i was young, just made features editor, super impressed with our brilliant editor, sensitive writer(read Riot after Riot), but the great have feet of clay. i have narrated the story in my earlier tweets. i enjoyed our conversations-he was witty, intelligent, but this did not mean i was available.After i refused to go to thehotel at night-post putting paper to bed-things got nasty. He made lewd comments, once when we we had a meeting with the entire features http://team.one of the girls told me later he had asked them to meet him in the hotel too. I was alone in the city, vulnerable, fighting battles on personal fronts. i kept quiet. once,i recall going for a story-in Mumbai Mantralaya , & the officer tried to grab me: & i thought whom do i complain to: my editor is made of same stuff. and i walked away from AA. dug up dirt-on corruption-on the officer , but the next newspaper refused to publish it,. so guys the numbering is all wrong..the story, all TRUE. i did keep in touch with #MjAkbar thru the yrs, of & on. stripped of all respect tho, as i realised much later, he had not changed his ways-only 5-yrs back i was much more confident. i had to speak up. with all the brave women who have spoken up. and will back you, but as for me i want to lay the ghosts to rest.. thing is we don;t speak bcoz we get weary of our battles, protect family,our right to work, i am fighting other battles now-for our wilds..thanks for support.”
Mobashar Jawed “M.J.” Akbar is an Indian politician, who is the Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs, and a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha, from Madhya Pradesh. He was inducted into the Union Council of Ministers by PM Narendra Modi on 5 July 2016. He is also a veteran Indian journalist and author of several books. He first served as an elected Member of Parliament between 1989 and 1991, and returned to public life in March 2014, when he joined the BJP and was appointed national spokesperson during the 2014 general elections that brought the party back to office with a simple majority under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi. In July, 2015 he was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Jharkhand. During his long career in journalism, he launched, as editor, India’s first weekly political news magazine, Sunday, in 1976, and two daily newspapers, The Telegraph and The Asian Age in 1989 and 1994. He has also been editorial director of India Today and The Sunday Guardian. He was the Editor-in-Chief and then Editorial Director of The Sunday Guardian, a weekly newspaper that he founded, until he left to join politics full-time. He has remained associated with leading media houses and periodicals in India including India Today, Headlines Today, The Telegraph, The Asian Age and Deccan Chronicle’,’ among others.
He has written several non-fiction books, including a biography of Jawaharlal Nehru titled Nehru: The Making of India, a book on Kashmir titled Kashmir Behind the Vale, Riot After Riot and India: The Siege Within. He also authored The Shade of Swords, a history of jihad. Akbar has also authored fiction, such as Blood Brothers-A Family Saga (Fratelli Di Sangue, Italian translated version). Have Pen, Will Travel: Observations of a Globetrotter is a travelogue authored by him. His book ‘Byline’ consists of write-ups of bylines picked from his writings. His book Tinderbox: The past and future of Pakistan, in January 2012 discusses the themes of identity crisis and class struggles in Pakistan.
