Rafi Ahmed Kidwai

Early Life:

Rafi Ahmad Kidwai was born on 18th February 1894 in Masuali Village in Bara Banki district in present-day Uttar Pradesh. He joined the M.A.O college at Aligarh in the year 1916 where he went on to finish his B.A. He then began an L.L.B course in Aligarh but could not write his examinations due to his participation in the Non-Cooperation Movement.

He also worked closely with Motilal Nehru and in 1925, he was elected as one of the secretaries of the U.P Congress. He was elected to the Central Legislative Assembly and served as the chief whip for the Swaraj party, the electoral arm of the Congress, from 1926-1929.

Role in India’s Independence Movement:

Kidwai was particularly active during the Khilafat movement during the 1920’s, by which time he was a well-known member of the Indian National Congress. He was imprisoned for his part in the Non-Cooperation movement and he was released in 1922.

Contribution to Constitution Making:

Kidwai was elected to the Constituent Assembly from the United Provinces on a Congress Party ticket. He was a member of two committes: Union Constitution and Rules and Procedure, but did not make any interventions during the debates.

Later Contributions:

After Independence, he was appointed as the first Communications minister and inaugurated the first night air mail service. Subsequently, he held the post of the Agriculture minister.

Kidwai died in the year 1954.

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research created the Rafi Ahmad Kidwai Award in 1956 in his honour.