Begum Aizaz Rasul: Only Muslim Woman in Constituent Assembly

A writer, a politician and a woman who did not fear taking a stand and voicing her concern, Begum Aizaz Rasul was one of the fifteen women who helped draft the Indian constitution. She had made a name for herself in history by dedicating her life to uplifting the marginalized and becoming the voice of the unheard.

Begum Aizaz Rasul ,Image source: Scoopnest

The Morley-Minto reforms of 1909 included provisions for separate electorates based on religion.The same year, a woman was born in a previously undivided Punjab who would spend the rest of her life opposing separate electorates. That's how history conforms and helps to balance!

Begum Aizaz Rasul, the daughter of Sir Zulfikar Ali Khan, was born on April 2, 1909, into a political family in Malerkotla of Punjab province. Being born into a political and well-to-do family helped her gain a platform and a voice in the nationalist political sphere. She began working as her father's secretary at a young age, which provided her with valuable insights into the ongoing nationalist struggle, the workings of the Indian National Congress and colonial interests.

Soon after at the age of 20, she married a taluqdar, Nawab Aizaz Rasul. The journey from Malerkota in Punjab to Sandila in the United Provinces following marriage presented its own set of challenges. However, it had its own silver lining, as the proximity of both families to the political sphere prompted Rasul to actively participate in electoral politics.

Begum Aizaz Rasul was well aware that being a woman in politics is difficult, and that entering what is commonly referred to as the "men's sphere" would present its own challenges. Her inherent toughness, however, drove her to run in provincial elections in the United Provinces in 1937 from a non-reserved seat. She eventually won the elections, which became a watershed moment in her life, propelling her to the seat of the Constituent Assembly that drafted the Indian constitution.

Rasul was constantly juggling her private and public identities. On the one hand, she had to follow the purdah system at her in-laws' home, but she purposefully chose to oppose it in public.

“In her autobiography, "From Purdah to Parliament," Rasul mentions that while she remembers the breathing space in purdah at home while enjoying qawaalis in Sandila, her parliament days are equally rewarding.”

As a result, the media frequently referred to her as "two-faced Begum." In fact, Ulema issued a fatwa against Begum Aizaz Rasul because they found it unacceptable to see a non-purdah Muslim woman in public. Nothing, however, could stop Rasul from becoming an icon of fierce willpower for women in the Indian subcontinent who still had limited political access. Her negotiation and management of her private and public image, on the other hand, are admirable.

In 1947, Begum Rasul became the only Muslim woman to be a part of the first Indian constituent assembly. Meanwhile, she was also elected as a member of the legislative assembly of the United Provinces. Her contribution to the making of the constitution is seldom acknowledged. Regardless, Rasul was an ardent critic of separate electorates. She believed that separate electorates, especially on the basis of religion, would further divide India instead of presenting a united front, and that was the last thing that India needed after a violent partition on account of communal politics. As one of her excerpts from her speeches in parliament notes, "For my part, I have from the beginning felt that in a secular state, separate electorates have no place."

Begum Aizaz Rasul was not only an opponent of separate electorates but also an active participant and supporter of minority rights. Her unwavering stance on minority rights is still a living reality, as stated in the fundamental rights of the Indian constitution.

After independence, Rasul remained actively involved in parliamentary affairs. In 1952, she was elected to the Rajya Sabha. In her long political career, she went on to accomplish a number of other feats. Rasul served as the chairperson of the Uttar Pradesh Minority Commission from 1969 to 1971. Her passion for sports led her to become the president of the Indian Women's Hockey Association, a position she held for nearly two decades. It was because of her incredible dedication that the women's hockey team saw several reforms needed at the time, from changing the dress code to making provisions for basic facilities for women playing hockey.

Begum Rasul was awarded the Padma Bhushan for her contribution to nation building. She died in 2001, a year after being honored. Her life was possibly dedicated to the rightful cause and the upliftment of the marginalized. She was the voice of the unspoken, the inspiration for thousands of women who did not have the choice to become politically active, and she continues to live in the spirit and heart of the Indian constitution.