Yakub Hasan Sait

Maulana Yakub Hasan Sait or simply Yakub Hasan Sait (1875–1940) was an Indian businessman, freedom-fighter and politician who served as the Minister for Public Works in the Madras presidency from 1937 to 1939.

Yakub Hasan Sait was born in Nagpur and educated in Aligarh University. At a very young age, he moved to Bangalore for business purposes and settled in Madras in the year 1901. He served as a member of the Madras Corporation and as a member of the Madras Legislative Council. From 1937 to 1939, he served as the Minister of Public Works in the Rajaji government.

Yakub Hasan Sait was a member of the Muslim League and later, the Indian National Congress. He was the only Muslim minister in Rajaji's 1937 cabinet.

Early life

Yakub Hasan Sait was born in Nagpur, Central Provinces and Berar in 1875. He had his schooling and early education in Nagpur and he had his higher education from Aligarh University. Due to his immense knowledge of the Quran and other Muslim religious scriptures, Sait was often called "Maulana".

Early politics and formation of the All-India Muslim League

Soon after his arrival in Madras, Sait entered public life and was elected member of the Madras Corporation. Sait was one of founders of the All India Muslim League.

In the Indian Independence Movement

In 1916, Sait was elected to the Madras Legislative Council by the South Indian Chamber of Commerce. He joined the Indian National Congress and participated in the Khilafat agitations As a result, no Muslim leader from the Presidency participated in the Civil Disobedience Movement.

A little before the 1937 elections, Sait, left the Madras Provincial Muslim League and joined the Indian National Congress. Soon, he became one of the top leaders of the provincial Congress. He died soon afterwards. These Muslim Leaguers were against the atheist policies of the Self-Respect Movement. At the same time, there was also not much support for the Indian National Congress amongst the Muslims in the Presidency.

During his campaigning for the Indian National Congress, Sait was accused of disrespecting Islam at a meeting in Coimbatore by not standing while verses from the Quran were read. Throughout the remainder of the campaign, he was shown black flags at rallies.