Lucknow: Congress veteran Mohsina Kidwai was a Gandhi family confidante, from Indira Gandhi to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Her political career, too, began at Jawaharalal Nehru’s suggestion.In Feb 1954, newlywed Mohsina’s father-in-law Jameel-ur-Rehman Kidwai (a popular Congress leader in Barabanki) took her to meet Nehru. While blessing the girl, he asked Jameel: “When are you introducing her to the political world?” The casually tossed question paved the way for her political debut in 1960, and the journey continued for more than six decades.Former PM Manmohan Singh described her as an ‘inspirational figure’, while Sonia Gandhi hailed her as ‘a leader of exceptional ability, dedication, dignity and warmth.’Mohsina had met Indira while waiting to meet Nehru in 1954. That chance meeting later turned into lifelong bond that went beyond politics. In the years in between, Mohsina came to be known as a close confidante of the former PM who also made her the chief of UP Congress in 1976. After a meeting in Mathura in 1976, the then UP CM Narayan Dutt Tiwari asked Mohsina to accompany him to a meeting with Indira Gandhi in Delhi. On the way, Tiwari told her that she had been picked as the new UP Congress chief. “I have full confidence in you…. So go and start your work,” Indira told a nervous Mohsina in their meeting.Broke FD to fund campaign: When UP assembly was dissolved and fresh elections were announced in June 1977, Mohsina as the UP Congress chief toured through the length and breadth of the state. Since paucity of funds was a big challenge for the party, she broke her fixed deposit of Rs 90,000 to support her candidates. Congress won 48 seats in that election.Ran party office from residence: At a family funeral, Mohsina learnt that UP Congress faction which had opposed Indira ahead of 1978 split had claimed its stake to the party office in Lucknow and locked the premises – a deed she had anticipated before. She had moved all valuable assets, including cars and equipment, to her official residence at 6, Darulshafa (MLAs’ residential hostel) in Lucknow and turned it into a functioning Congress office. But that couldn’t have been a permanent solution. A well-wisher informed her about a house which was being auctioned and suggested her to buy it for her permanent residence in Lucknow. Instead of buying it for herself, she decided to buy it for the party.Crowd-funded to build UP Cong HQ: She bought the house — 10, Mall Avenue —in the auction for Rs 2.25 lakh, which was a big amount in those days. Despite putting her savings and that of her husband, the money still fell short. So, she sent out an appeal in the newspaper asking party workers to contribute. The response was overwhelming. People gave whatever they could – in coins, in Rs 10 notes and even bigger. And finally, 10 Mall Avenue became the UPCC office and remains till date. Mohsina had also given blank signed papers to Indira Gandhi to transfer the property from her name to the party’s name. “In fact, it remained in Mohsina Kidwai’s name till six months ago. This also suggests that the party reciprocated all the love and respect she gave to the us,” said UP Congress chief Ajay Rai.Won bypoll during anti-Indira wave: Congress MP Pramod Tewari, who saw Mohsina from her first election in 1960, said she will always be remembered for her iron will and total commitment to tasks she undertook. “While her popularity can be gauged from the fact that she won elections from her home turn in Barabanki and remained victorious even on a seat like Meerut… but there is no second to her victory in 1978 bypoll when she won the Azamgarh seat despite the strong anti-Indira wave in which Congress lost on many key seats,” he recalled. Later, that victory is said to have paved way for Congress Party’s return in 1980.Attended Frontier Gandhi’s funeral with Rajiv Gandhi: In an interview to TOI, mark Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan’s centenary in February last, Mohsina Kidwai had recalled, “I was fortunate to attend the funeral of Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan Sahab. I was then a Cabinet minister in the Union govt and had gone to see off PM Rajiv Gandhi at the airport. The aircraft door was about to close when he saw me. The plane was halted, the door reopened, and Rajivji called me onboard. I was the only person in the delegation at the airport who was familiar with Muslim funeral rituals, so I accompanied him without any prior preparation. It was the first time I witnessed such an enormous gathering, lakhs of people and dignitaries had assembled to bid Khan Sahab a final farewell.”Advice to Priyanka: When Priyanka Gandhi Vandra came to UP as party’s state in-charge in 2019, she convened a meeting of all significant leaders of the state. Mohsina Kidwai was among them. “I distinctly remember her speaking on the occasion. She said that there was immense power in the principles which the Congress has nurtured since freedom movement… She said the present generation of workers must be educated and apprised about Congress ideology which was taken well by the leadership as well,” said MLA Aradhana Mishra. Rasheed Kidwai, who co-authored her autobiography, cited Mohsina: “If Congress goes back to basics, its revival is very much possible.” In an obit on Wednesday, Rasheed noted that Congress should have paid attention to what Mohsina had said.
