Najma Heptulla

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Dr. Najma Heptulla is an Indian politician. She is the grand-niece of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, a prominent Indian freedom fighter who had opposed the creation of a separate Muslim state. Born in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh in 1940, she steadily climbed up in the Congress party, heading several divisions of the party's grassroots organizations. Since 1980, she has been a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of parliament of India. She is currently member of Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan state. Najma was the Deputy Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha from January 1985 to January 1986 and from 1988 to July 2004. During the Vajpayee Government's tenure, Najma was nominated to head the Indian Council of Cultural Affairs. She was also designated to lead to Indian delegations on various foreign trips. This resulted in the eventual departure of Najma to the Bhartiya Janata Party prior to the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. She is a member of the BJP National Executive.