She married Asaf Ali, a prominent lawyer and congress leader of Delhi. During her youth, she came under the influence of the congress socialists and became a radical nationalist. She was arrested during the civil disobedience movement in 1930 and again in the course of the individual Satyagraha in 1941. She participated in the Quit India movement (1942-46) from underground. After India’s independence she became associated with the left socialist group, which in 1955 merged with the Communist Party of India. She was a leading member of the Indo-Soviet cultural society, All India Peace Council and National Federation of Indian women. She is known as the "Grand Old Lady of the Independence movement" and often referred to as the "Queen of Quit India Movement". Remember, Matangini Hazra was known as "Gandhi buri", which means the old lady Gandhi.