Social worker, socialite and Ram Mandir donor: Meet BJP’s Kausar Jahan, Delhi Haj Committee’s new chief
A senior BJP leader described Jahan as an “unorthodox and liberal” individual committed to social work. Instead of connecting with the party through student politics, Jahan got associated with her through social work.
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Associated with social work for over a decade, Jahan has been a part of Sampurna, an NGO which works in various welfare-related sectors in Delhi administered by Rohini BJP MLA Vijender Gupta’s wife Dr Shobha Vijender. (Twitter/@JamalSiddiqui_) A well-travelled social worker with roots in privilege, 36-year-old Kausar Jahan became the second woman to be elected to lead the Delhi State Haj Committee on Thursday.
An arts graduate from Delhi University, the businesswoman and philanthropist, according to a BJP insider, is as recognisable a face at cultural and page 3 events as she is among civil society and charity groups working for women’s empowerment and children.
Jahan, only the second woman to chair the Haj Committee after Congress stalwart Tajdar Babar, lost both her parents to Covid-19 but this did not deter her from hitting the ground to distribute ration and masks during the pandemic.
A senior BJP leader described Jahan as an “unorthodox and liberal” individual committed to social work. Instead of connecting with the party through student politics, Jahan got associated with her through social work.
Born and brought up in Mumbai and related to the royal Nizam Family of Hyderabad, her great-grandfather Nawab Fakhr Ul Mulk Bahadur is considered a leading Shia nobleman of the Nizam era.
Associated with social work for over a decade, Jahan has been a part of Sampurna, an NGO which works in various welfare-related sectors in Delhi administered by Rohini BJP MLA Vijender Gupta’s wife Dr Shobha Vijender.
The last time she had made the news, in fact, was for having been the first person to hand over a cheque as a contribution towards the construction of the upcoming Ram Mandir to Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) international working president Alok Kumar. This was at a gathering of ‘Ram Bhakts’ organised by Sampurna on February 14, 2021, in Rohini’s Sector 9 where Jahan was present in her capacity as Shobha’s long-standing associate.
“I joined the BJP four years ago officially but unofficially I have associated and worked for the party for the last 15 years. I worked actively for the Minority Morcha of the BJP. I just got selected for the post and I am very happy and thankful to my seniors and party leaders for supporting me. It will be an honour to work for the Haj Committee,” she told The Indian Express.
Making arrangements and fulfilling the dreams of people going to Haj is a very pak (pure) act, she said, even as she sought to request members from other parties on the committee not to engage in politics when it came to work related to the service.
“I have been selected for the post but I don’t have much details about the current happenings in the committee. However, things will be clear once I take up the responsibility. I just want to request my AAP brothers to not do politics in this pure service. Please let’s work together for the people and the Haj service,” he added.
The Haj Committee has six members — two MLAs, one MP, one councillor and two nominees from outside. In the present committee, members are AAP MLAs Abdul Rahman and Haji Yunus, BJP MP Gautam Gambhir, Congress Councillor Naziya Danish as well as Kausar Jahan and Islamic scholar Mohammad Saad. Danish skipped Thursday’s meeting when the voting took place.
BJP Delhi and Assam in-charge Baijayant Panda is understood to have played a significant role in Jahan having been the party’s pick for the Haj Committee elections.
The BJP has called Jahan’s election a “big step forward towards encouraging women empowerment amongst the Muslim community” in addition to an iteration of the fact that women from the community were increasingly reposing their trust in Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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