Bharatiya Janata Party’s first such Muslim leader and former cabinet minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi is celebrating his 67th birthday today i.e. on 15th October. He reached Parliament for the first time by winning the election on BJP ticket. Apart from this, he also became Minister of State in the then Atal Bihar Vajpayee government. So let us know about some interesting things related to the life of Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on the occasion of his birthday…
BJP’s first Muslim face
Former Union Minister and senior BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi was born on 15 October 1957 in Prayagraj, UP. He did his early education from Prayagraj. After this he did further studies from Allahabad University. Then during his college days he became active in student politics. Naqvi was arrested in 1975 during emergency in the country. During this period, he remained lodged in Naini Central Jail of Prayagraj.
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi was also counted among the close friends of Rajnarayan, the socialist leader who defeated Indira Gandhi. When he entered national politics after student politics, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.
won elections for the first time
For the first time, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi contested the elections as a candidate of Janata Party (Secular). However, he did not get success during this period. After this, when he joined BJP, he contested from Sadar Assembly seat of Mau district, but here too he had to face defeat.
Then Naqvi was defeated in the 1993 assembly elections also. After this, in the 1998 Lok Sabha elections, BJP fielded Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi from Rampur Lok Sabha seat of Uttar Pradesh. During this he got victory. This was the first time that a Muslim face from BJP reached Parliament by contesting Lok Sabha elections.
Naqvi was a minister
Then Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi became the Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting in the then Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. He was a member of Rajya Sabha from UP from 2010 to 2016. Then in the year 2016, Naqvi was appointed member of Rajya Sabha from Jharkhand. After this, after the formation of Modi government at the Center in 2014, Naqvi was given the charge of Minister of State for Minority Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs.
In the year 2019, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi was again included in the cabinet in the second term of Modi government. However, in July 2022, Naqvi resigned from the post of Union Minister. During his political career he has also written three books.
