Begum Ajaz Rasul was the only Muslim woman in the Constituent Assembly of India, which was responsible for drafting the Constitution of this country. Today at Her Story, we will discuss the life and works of Begum Rasul.
Begum Rasul was born on April 2, 1909, in Punjab. She was called Qudsia Begum at that time.
In 1935, Qudsia joined the Muslim League and entered electoral politics. She was one of the few women who successfully contested for a non-reserved seat and was elected to the UP Legislative Assembly.
Despite her family background consisting of zamindars, she was known for her strong support for the abolition of zamindari. Begum also strongly opposed the demand for a separate electorate based on religion.
In 1946, she was elected to the Constituent Assembly of India and was one of the 28 Muslim League members who finally joined the Indian Constituent Assembly. After the Muslim League was dissolved in 1950, Begum Ajaz Rasul joined the Congress and was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1952. Later, in 1969, she was elected as a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly.
After the Partition of India, only a handful of Muslim League members joined the Constituent Assembly of India, and Begum was one of them. This made her an important voice, speaking strongly about minority rights during the drafting of the Indian Constitution. Because of her contribution to the political fabric of the nation, Begum was awarded the Padma Bhushan in the year 2000.
She also held office as the President of the Indian Women’s Hockey Federation and supported sports for women.