From Purdah to Power: Begum Aizaz Rasul’s Trailblazing Journey in Indian Politics

By Afroz Khan, New Age Islam 5 September 2025 Begum Aizaz Rasul, born Qudsia Begum in 1909, was the only Muslim woman in India’s Constituent Assembly. A trailblazing politician, she opposed religious reservations, championed minority rights, and promoted women’s hockey. Elected to the Rajya Sabha and Uttar Pradesh Assembly, she received the Padma Bhushan in 2000. Main Points: 1. Only Muslim woman in 1946 Constituent Assembly. 2. Fought for minority equality, opposed religious reservations. 3. Elected to UP Assembly, Rajya Sabha; served as minister. 4. Promoted women’s hockey; cup named after her. 5. Authored autobiography, travelogue; opposed purdah. ---- The Constituent Assembly was formed in July 1946. Initially there were 389 members in this assembly and after the partition there were 299 members left in this assembly, out of these 299 members there were only 15 women, and out of these 15 women also there was only one Muslim woman member "Begum Aijaz Rasul". Begum Aizaz Rasul was born on 2 April 1909 in Lahore (undivided India). Her father Sir Zulfikar Ali Khan belonged to the ruling family of Malerkotla princely state in Punjab. Her mother, Mahmuda Sultan, was the daughter of Nawab Alauddin Ahmed Khan of Loharu. The Original Name Of Begum Aizaz Rasul Was Qudsia Begum Begum Aizaz's father was a prominent member of the Punjab Pramukh Sangh and Chief Minister of Patiala state, so Begum Aizaz developed a deep connection with politics, political activities were a common thing for her, she often used to attend these political conferences with her father and also worked as her father's secretary. In 1929, Qudsia was married to Nawab Aizaz Rasool, the Talukdar of Sandila in Hardoi district of the then Awadh (presently Uttar Pradesh). Begum Aizaz's father died in 1931, only two years after the marriage. After the death of her father, Begum Aijaz came to her in-laws' house in Sandila and stayed there for the rest of her life. In her in-laws' house, Begum Qudsia was identified by her husband's name "Begum Aizaz Rasul" and later this became her official identity also. Political Carrier In 1935, the Government of India Act was passed which expanded the constituencies and introduced separate electorates for Dalits and women, and this is where Begum Aizaz started her political journey. In the 1937 elections, Begum Aijaz contested from a non-reserved seat and won and was elected to the UP Legislative Assembly. She held the post of Vice President of the Council from 1937 to 1940. When the Constituent Assembly was formed in 1946, she was the only Muslim woman member to join it. Begum Aizaz Rasul was a member of the Muslim League. When Muslim League leader Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman went to Pakistan, Begum Aijaz succeeded him as the leader of the Muslim League and became a member of the Minority Rights Drafting Subcommittee. After the partition of India, most of the League members went to Pakistan but Begum Aijaz Rasul refused to go to Pakistan. The Muslim League was also dissolved. Then Begum Aijaz joined the Congress. Begum Aijaz Rasul played a very important role on the issues of minorities in the Constituent Assembly. Because the basic objective of the Constitution was based on the right to equality, Begum Aijaz supported the right of Muslims to be equal to other religions and opposed any kind of religious reservation. Begum Aizaz Rasul played a key role in building a consensus among the Muslim leadership to voluntarily give up the demand for reserved seats for religious minorities. During discussions relating to the rights of minorities in a meeting of the Drafting Committee, she opposed the idea of 'separate electorate' for Muslims. She called it 'a suicidal weapon which separates the minorities from the majority forever.' She mentions this in her book and writes that "I had spoken very forcefully about the abolition of reservation... It was completely suicidal to keep alive the spirit of separatism by demanding reservation on communal basis for religious minorities.” Begum Aijaz continuously made the Muslim members who demanded separate electorate on the basis of religion aware of its harmful effects and finally in 1949 the members demanding separate electorate accepted the appeal of Begum Aijaz. After Independence, Begum Aizaz Held Many Important Positions From 1952 to 1954, Begum Aizaz was elected to the Rajya Sabha, from 1969 to 1989 she was a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, between 1969 and 1971, she was the Minister of Social Welfare and Minority Welfare. Begum Aijaz was very fond of hockey. She dedicated her life to promote women's hockey. She held the post of President of Women's Hockey Federation and Asian Women's Hockey Federation for almost 20 years. Due to her special contribution to hockey, the Indian Women's Hockey Cup was named in her honour. Begum Aizaz was awarded India's prestigious award Padma Bhushan in 2000 for her special contribution and social service. Begum Aijaz also had a keen interest in literature. In 1953, when she went to Japan, she wrote the travelogue in the form of a book "Three Weeks in Japan". She also wrote her autobiography titled "From Purdah to Sansad: A Muslim Woman in Indian Politics". In her autobiography, she opposed the purdah system and wrote, "After entering politics and when I came out of the purdah system, I told my husband that I would not accept invitations from those who keep their women in the purdah system. This was applicable to both Hindus and Muslims because most of the Talukdars did not bring their wives out." On 1 August 2001, Begum Aijaz said goodbye to this world but while leaving, she gave courage to countless girls to fulfil their dreams, make their mark in the society and get out of those practices that prevent them from moving forward. ----- Afroz Khan is a teacher by profession, focusing on writings about women and Islam. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Education. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-personalities/purdah-begum-aizaz-rasul-trailblazing-indian-politics/d/136730 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism