S. A. Swaminatha Iyer

S. A. Saminatha Iyer
A portrait of S. A. Saminatha Iyer
Born	S. A. Saminatha Iyer
Died	1899 Kumbakonam
Nationality	British Indian
Occupation	lawyer
Title	Rao Bahadur
Political party	Indian National Congress

Rao BahadurS. A. Saminatha Iyer (died 1899), also known as Thanjavur Saminatha Iyer, was an Indian lawyer, landlord, politician and theosophist who served as Chairman of the Tanjore municipality and a delegate to the 1885, 1886, 1887, 1889 and 1894 sessions of the Indian National Congress. He spoke against salt tax in the first session conducted in 1885 and in 1887, was a part of a 32-member team that wrote the constitution of the Congress. Christopher Baker and D. A. Washbrook describe him as the "most celebrated spokesman of the Tanjore gentry".

S. A. Swaminatha Iyer was born in the Tanjore district of Tamil Nadu. He was the eldest of four sons of Sankaranarayana Dikshitar, the others being S. A. Subramania Iyer, S. A. Ayyaswami Iyer and S. A. Ananthanarayana Iyer. On completion of his education, Saminatha Iyer practised as a pleader in Negapatam.Around 1887, Saminatha Iyer migrated to Tanjore where he served as Public Prosector at the Tanjore district court.

Saminatha Iyer took an interest in politics during his practise as a pleader in Negapatam. During the early 1880s, he was elected to the Negapatam municipality and served as a member. In 1882, Saminatha Iyer took the lead in organizing the Madras Native Association branch in the district.He also set up a Negapatam branch of the Theosophical Society in 1883 and served as its Secretary. When the Madras Mahajana Sabha was formed in 1884, Saminatha Iyer became a corresponding member.

In September 1885, Saminatha Iyer moved to Kumbakonam and succeeded Sir A. Seshayya Sastri as President of the Tanjore People's Association.He was the association's sole delegate to the first session of the Indian National Congress held in Bombay between December 25 and 28, 1885.Saminatha Iyer was subsequently made a "Rao Sahib".

At the session, Saminatha Iyer vehemently criticized the Salt Tax

It would be unjust and unrighteous if the tax on salt should be increased. It is a necessary article both for human as well as animal well-being... it would be bad policy and a retrograde movement to raise the tax, especially at a time when the poor millions of India are anxiously looking forward for a further reduction of the tax.... As any increase, therefore, of this tax will fall heavily upon the masses of the people of the land, I would strongly urge upon the attention of this Congress the necessity of its entering its strong protest against any attempt on the part of Government to raise the tax on salt