Introduction:
A Lawyer who helped draft the Constitution of India Syed Sadullah. He was the only member from the North East India to be elected to the Drafting Committee of Indian Constitution. He was the dynamic leader and 1st Prime Minister of Assam providence before independence.
About:
- Syed Mohammed Saadulla was a lawyer and leader of the Muslim League in Assam.
- He was also the chairman of Gauhati Municipality in 1919 and Minister-in-Charge of Education and Agriculture for Assam from 1924 to 1934.
- He was educated at Cotton College, Guwahati and at Presidency College, Calcutta.
- Sir Syed Muhammad Saadulla was one of the foremost political leaders of modern Assam and the first Premier (also referred to as Prime Minister or Chief Minister) of the Assam province, one of the major eight provinces of British India.
- He received a Knighthood from the British Government in 1928.
- In 1936, he formed a coalition with other non-Congress parties to become the first Chief Minister of Assam in British India; however, he had to resign in 1938 after he lost a no-confidence motion.
Constitution Making:
- Saadulla was elected to the Constituent Assembly from Assam.
- He was one of 28 Muslim League members who attended the proceedings of the Assembly and was the only member from the Muslim League to sit on the Drafting Committee.
- His interventions in the Assembly revolved around securing Assam’s financial stability, and minority rights.
Lawyer
- Syed Muhammad Saadulla became a Pleader in Guwahati and set up practice at Lakhtakia in 1910.
- He soon made his mark as a lawyer. As discussed above he became chairman, Guwahati Municipality, and was nominated as a member of the Legislative Council at Shillong. Assam became a chief Commissioners Province in April 1912.
- Although a nominated member Saadulla energetically participated in the council’s deliberations, and expressed himself freely and forcefully on the matters of interest of the people of Assam.
- The qualities of citizenship which inspired him to unselfish efforts for what he believed to be right and patriotic were evident early in his political career
Politics
- Towards the end of February, 1924 Saadulla received a letter from Governor of Assam offering him a seat in his Executive Council as Minister.
- As the newly elected Legislative Council was due to meet at Shillong on 24 March, there was very little time to decide between Calcutta High Court Bar and Ministership in Assam.
- A man of instant decisions, he wrote to the Governor accepting his offer and assuring him of reaching Shillong well in advance of the date of commencement of the Council session.
- Elections to the third Reformed council were held in November, 1926, and Saadulla was returned from his constituency by large majority.
- He was re-appointed as a Minister. The honour of Knighthood was conferred on him in 1928. The following year Governor of Assam invited him to join his Executive Council, as a member for a term of five years.
