MJ Akbar debuts as federal minister

Veteran journalist MJ Akbar made his debut as a federal Indian minister last Tuesday when Prime Minister Narendra Modi undertook an expansion of his council of ministers for the second time in just over two years.

Akbar, 65, was inducted as the Minister of State in the External Affairs Ministry headed by Sushma Swaraj. He met Swaraj at her residence before taking the charge.

Akbar is the second Minister of State in the External Affairs Ministry after Gen (Retd) V K Singh, former chief of the Indian army.

This is for the first time an Indian journalist has been made a federal minister.

65-year-old Akbar, who was recently elected to Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh, is seen as an articulate and modern Muslim voice in BJP.

He was a party spokesperson and has often spoken on the government's foreign policies. He also writes column for The Daily Star, the leading English daily newspaper of Bangladesh.

A respected editor and author of several well-received books, including a biography of Jawaharlal Nehru, Akbar debuted in politics in 1980s.