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.