Which leader was a "Congress leader, active in the national movement, opposed Muslim separatist politics" and later became the Education Minister?

The correct option is

Abul Kalam Azad

Explanation

The prominent freedom fighter based on his political affiliation, ideological stance against partition, and his specific portfolio in the first cabinet of independent India.

Detailed Analysis:

• Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was a senior leader of the Indian National Congress and served as its President during the critical years of 1940–1946.
• He was a staunch opponent of the Two-Nation Theory and Muslim separatist politics, consistently advocating for a united India and Hindu-Muslim unity.
• Following independence, he was appointed as the first Minister of Education in the Government of India, a post he held from 1947 until his death in 1958.
• Zakir Hussain was a distinguished educationist and later became the third President of India, but he was not the first Education Minister.
• Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, known as "Frontier Gandhi," was a leader of the Khudai Khidmatgar movement who opposed partition but remained in the North-West Frontier Province (which became part of Pakistan) after 1947.
• Maulana Mohammad Ali was a key figure in the Khilafat Movement but died in 1931, well before the formation of the first independent government.

Key Takeaway: Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was India's first Education Minister and a leading Congress figure who strongly opposed the partition of India.