Dr. Sadiq Ali

DR. SADIQ ALI

Date of Birth: 1910 and Date of Death: 2001

            Dr. Sadiq Ali, who joined Indian National Movement as a student, was born in Udaipur in Rajasthan State in 1910.  He took part in Khilafat and Non Cooperation movement as student of Allahabad University.  He participated in the activities of Indian National Congress in the Gandhian way moving closely with Jawaharlal Nehru.  He organised picketing in Allahabad University as part of the boycotting foreign goods and alcoholism.  The British Government arrested and sent him to jail.  In 1930, he along with Jawaharlal Nehru prepared salt and auctioned it in the presence of Mothi Lal Nehru, defying the sanctions imposed by the British Government.  It was one of part of action in the Civil Disobedience Movement.  Angered by this act of violation, the British Government sent Dr. Sadiq Ali to jail.  When released from the jail, he focused on rural development programmes in tune with the way shown by Gandhiji.  He was on the work of rural development programmes in Uttar Pradesh till 1937.  He served as the permanent secretary of the office of Indian National Congress from 1938 to 1948.  In 1942 he lived in Sevagram with Mahatma Gandhi.  He was in jail for two years for undertaking Individual Satyagraha in January, 1943.  He vehemently opposed the ‘Pakistan’ resolution of All India Muslim League.  After independence and partition, he once again under took constructive programmes concentrating on rural development from 1948 to 1950.  He used to spin cotton thread in his leisure time and led his life as true Gandhian.  Later on, Doctor Sadiq Ali entered into active politics in 1950 and as a provisional parliamentary member from Uttar Pradesh from 1950 to 1952.  When Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party was formed by Acharya Kripalani in 1951, he took its membership and worked as its general secretary.  He contested in Lok Sabha elections as a KMPP party candidate in 1952 and suffered defeat.  He could not win in 1957 elections even though he contested as Congress party candidate.  At last he was elected to Rajyasabha form Rajasthan.  He was in Rajyasabha from 1958 to 1970.  He served as Governor of Maharashtra from 1977 to 1980 and as Governor of Tamilnadu from 1980 to 1982.  Doctor Sadiq Ali, who led his life till the end as a true Gandhian with socialist ideology, breathed his last on 17^th April, 2001.