Begum Aizaz Rasul: The Only Muslim Woman Who Signed India’s Constitution

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India was being shaped into a republic, the Constituent Assembly was dominated by men from powerful political and social backgrounds. Amid this crowded, often divided space stood one woman who quietly altered the course of minority politics and women’s participation in governance. Begum Aizaz Rasul was not only the only Muslim woman in the Constituent Assembly, she was also one of its most forward-looking voices. Her life moved from aristocratic comfort to political courage, and from purdah to Parliament.

Who Was Begum Aizaz Rasul?

Begum Aizaz Rasul, born Qudsia Begum on 2 April 1909, was an Indian politician, reformer and constitutionalist. She holds a unique place in history as the only Muslim woman who signed the Constitution of India. At a time when women’s political participation was rare, and Muslim women’s presence in public life even rarer, she stood as a representative of both gender and community without limiting herself to either. She passed away on 1 August 2001, leaving behind a legacy that still feels understated in popular history.

What Was Her Family Background?

Qudsia Begum was the daughter of Sir Zulfiqar Ali Khan. He belonged to a collateral branch of the ruling family of the princely state of Malerkotla in Punjab. Her mother, Mahmuda Sultana, was the daughter of Nawab Allauddin Ahmed Khan of Loharu. In 1929, she married Nawab Aijaz Rasul, the taluqdar of Sandila in present-day Uttar Pradesh. The marriage was arranged by Sir Malcolm Hailey and proved to be harmonious. After her father’s death in 1931, she moved permanently to Sandila, a town that became both her political base and final resting place. From then on, she was publicly known as Begum Aijaz Rasul.

When Did She Enter Politics?

Her entry into politics coincided with a major constitutional shift. After the Government of India Act 1935, Begum Aijaz Rasul and her husband joined the Muslim League and stepped into electoral politics. In the 1937 elections, she achieved something remarkable. She contested and won a non-reserved seat in the United Provinces Legislative Assembly. This was rare for women of that era, regardless of religion. She remained a member of the Assembly until 1952.

Why Was Her Political Rise So Significant?

Begum Aizaz Rasul broke multiple barriers at once. Between 1937 and 1940, she served as the Deputy President of the Legislative Council. Later, from 1950 to 1952, she became the Leader of the Opposition in the Council. This made her the first woman in India and the first Muslim woman in the world to hold such a position. What makes her rise more crucial is her ideological clarity. Even though she came from a zamindari background, Begum Aizaz Rasul supported the abolition of the zamindari system. Begum Aizaz Rasul thought land reform was important for economic equality and social justice.

What Role Did She Play in the Constituent Assembly?

In 1946, Begum Aizaz Rasul was elected to the Constituent Assembly of India. Among the Muslim League members who stayed back in India after Partition, she was the only woman. After the League leader Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman migrated to Pakistan, she became the leader of the Muslim League in the Assembly. She was also appointed to the Minority Rights Drafting Subcommittee, a crucial body shaping the future of India’s pluralism. Her presence in the Assembly was not symbolic. It was deeply influential.

How Did She Shape Minority Rights in India?

She opposed separate electorates for religious minorities even when many Muslim leaders supported reserved seats. She believed such things would permanently create a divide between communities. She famously described separate electorates as a self-destructive weapon that isolates minorities from the national mainstream. Her reasoning was rooted in long-term integration rather than short-term security. By 1949, Muslim members of the Assembly also gave up the demand for separate electorates. This decision became a cornerstone of India’s secular democratic framework.

Where Did Her Political Journey Lead After Independence?

After Independence, the Muslim League in India dissolved in 1950. Begum Aizaz Rasul then joined the Congress party. She was elected to the Rajya Sabha between 1952 and 1954 and later served as a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly from 1969 to 1989. Between 1969 and 1971, she held the portfolio of Minister for Social Welfare and Minorities. In this role, she worked on issues affecting marginalised communities, women and social equity. In 2000, the Government of India awarded her the Padma Bhushan for her contribution to social work and public life.

How Was She Connected to Sports and Women’s Hockey?

Beyond politics, Begum Aizaz Rasul was deeply invested in sports, especially women’s hockey. She served as the President of the Indian Women’s Hockey Federation for two decades and also led the Asian Women’s Hockey Federation. The Begum Rasul Trophy, awarded in Indian women’s hockey, is named in her honour. A lesser-known trivia is that in 1952, she even played cricket, dressed in men’s whites, in a goodwill match between the President’s XI and the Prime Minister’s XI. This act alone challenged rigid gender norms of the time.

What Did She Write and Document?

A widely travelled individual, she was part of the Prime Minister’s Goodwill Delegation to Japan in 1953 and the Indian Parliamentary Delegation to Turkey in 1955. These experiences informed her writing and worldview. She wrote Three Weeks in Japan, a travel account that reflected her observational skills. Her autobiography, From Purdah to Parliament: A Muslim Woman in Indian Politics, is still an important document for understanding women’s political journeys in modern India.