Leader of Mewat: Rare Indian politician who was elected to Assemblies of three different states
Shams Ur Rehman Alavi
Chaudhary Tayyab Husain is known for his leadership of the Meo community and for representing the region in Assemblies as well as parliament.
A prominent politician, he not only gave voice to aspirations of the people of the region and raised the demands of Meo community, but also took up the leadership role and led from the front, setting up schools, ensuring health facilities as well his role in setting up the Yasin Meo College.
His father, Chaudhary Yasin Khan, was born in a farming family in Rehna village [in 1896] near Nuh but with his hard work and sheer determination, reached St Stephen’s College and Aligarh Muslim University, then went on to practice law in Lahore High Court before independence.
As leader of Meos, he became their voice. The Brayne* Meo school was set up. His drive to set up ‘School every two miles’ was an important step. He was a member of Unionist Party and legislator in undivided Punjab’s legislative council for a long period from 1926 to 1946, and was a unanimous leader of the Meos.
After independence, when there was violence and fear, he had brought Gandhi to Mewat and the latter gave a call to Meos to stay. Yasin Khan had joined Congress and was elected as MLA in Punjab in early 1950s.
Carrying the legacy of his illustrious father, Chaudhary Yasin Khan, the son — Tayyab Husain made his foray in politics in post-independent India. First, he was elected as MLA in Punjab Assembly.
It was greater Punjab then and this also included Haryana. Later, Tayyab Husain was elected to Haryana and Rajasthan’s State Assemblies also. In fact, he was minister in all the three states, a unique record in the political history of the country.
The people he represented, Meos, live in the region that is spread across Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and up to the Delhi’s border-viz. Gurgaon. Apart from being member of three State Assemblies, a unique feat, he was also elected to Parliament twice.
Tayyab Husain remained with Congress, though for a while, he was associated with Vishal Haryana Party. He had a long political career. Husain was barely 26 when he was made a deputy minister for health and PWD in Pratap Singh Kairon’s government in Punjab.
He became Chairman of Punjab Waqf Board in 1965. In 1966, he became member of Haryana Assembly, as the state was carved out of Punjab. In 1970, his father passed away. Nearly 100,000 people had gathered for the last rites.
After Yasin Khan’s death, Tayyab Husain was bestowed the title of Chaudhry of 36 ‘biradiris’ and the ‘pugri’, this honour came to him. A worthy successor to his father, Tayyab Husain continued to guide the community in social, educational and political fields.
In 1971, he was elected to Lok Sabha from Gurgaon seat on Congress ticket. Then, in 1980, he was again elected to Lok Sabha from Faridabad. Besides, he represented the Tavdu [Taoru] seat later. In 1990s, he was once again elected from another state — Rajasthan.
First, he won in 1993, defeating BJP’s Madan Mohan Singhal. He had contested from Kaman seat. Again in 1998, he won from the same constituency, defeating Singhal who on this occasion contested as independent and BJP’s official candidate came third.
In Rajasthan too, he was made a minister and had portfolio of Agriculture, Health and Rural Development. The Yasin Meo College is located in Nuh, Mewat. It was due to his efforts that it became a major institution.
He passed away in 2008. The Meo community, a proud race, and also known as Mewatis, are spread in a region that was backward and lacked schools and health facilities.
It was Meo chieftain Hasan Khan Mewati who fought along side Rana Sanga and Lodhi, in the battle against Babar. In the period around partition, Meos had faced repression in the former princely states of Alwar and Bharatpur.
Also, it was a tough time for them when there was violence in adjoining Punjab and Haryana during 1947. However, Yasin Khan and his son Tayyab Husain played an important role as leaders of the community that needed voice and leadership in multiple spheres.
It is a legacy that needs to be carried forward. Mewat as a region includes the Mewat district of Haryana, which includes Nuh, Ferozepur Jhirka, Punahana and Taoru. This area has a population of over a million.
But the region extends to other parts also, beyond the district. These parts of Mewat include Tijara, Hathin, Kaman, Nagar, Ramgarh, Lachhmangarh and Alwar. Faridabad, Ballabhgarh, Gurgaon and Deeg are in the periphary that includes the former princely states of Jhajjhar and Pataudi.
- NOTE: The school was initially named after FL Brayne, the then Deputy Commissioner of Gurgaon, who wrote the book, ‘Socrates in an Indian village’.
- *Mewat. Pronunciation is ‘May-vaat’
