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Section-II From The Year 1930 To 1939

ROUND TABLE CONFERENCES (1930-32)
Simon Commission report that was finally published in May 1930, invited criticism from all over India. Congress
announced complete boycott and started civil disobedience movement under Gandhi’s command. Demonstrations
and violence spread throughout the country. Gandhi and Jawaharal Nehru were arrested. The political situation had
become tensed in the country. British Government realized that without the cooperation of Indians it was not possible
to introduced Constitutional reforms in London. There were three sessions of Round Table Conference held at London
during 1930 to 1932.

First Round Table Conference (12 Nov. 1930-19 Jan 1931):

In this conference all the parties were represented except Congress. Congress refused to attend unless there was a
guarantee that anything agreed at the Conference would be implemented. British Government gave no such
guarantee. Congress declared that demand for the Swaraj (self-rule). The Muslim decided to attend the Congress in
spite of Congress boycott. Muslim delegation included:

Sir Aga Khan, M.A Johar, Maulvi Fazaal-ul-Haq and M.A Jinnah.

Important Issues Decided At The Conference Were:

 The princely States agreed to extend their cooperation in forming an All India Federation.
 The British agreed that representative government should be introduced at provincial level.
 Separation of Sind from Bombay.
 To introduce Federal System of government in India.

No agreement was reached as to the question of Muslims weight age in future constitution. Since congress was India’s
largest party and absent from 1st Round Table Conference, it was difficult to take final decision.

Gandhi-Irwin Pact (17-19Feb. 1931):

The civil disobedience movement had failed and the Congress wanted to wriggle out of this situation while the
government too was desirous of Congress participation in the Second Round Table Conference because the
government had realized that without Congress any solution for Constitutional reforms would be difficult. Lord Irwin
extended invitation to Gandhi for folks and an agreement between Gandhi and Irwin was signed with the following
salient proposals:

 The Congress will end its civil disobedience movement.

 The Congress will attend the second Round Table Conference.
 The government will withdraw all ordinances against Congress.
 The government would withdraw all notification/ enactments relating to offences not involving violence.
 The government should release all persons detained during Civil disobedience movement.

Second Round Table Conference (7 Sept- 1st Dec 1931):

Gandhi adopted a stubborn and unreasonable attitude on all matters and refused to accept any rights of minorities.
After adopting the stiff attitude Gandhi sat back quietly observe the proceedings. He did his best to prove India as one
nation and nationality so that he could claim to represent the Indian people alone. But the M. Ali Jinnah replied that
Indian Muslims were also a separate nation of India which had its own interests. Non settlement of minorities issue
could be reached and the second Conference ended without reaching at any conclusion mainly because of rigid
attitude of Gandhi.

From The Desk of: Sir Junaid Ali “History and Culture of Pakistan” O-LEVELS 2059/01
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Section-II From The Year 1930 To 1939
Third Round Table Conference (17 Nov – 24 Dec 1932)
Before the 3rd session of the Round Table Conference, British announced their own solution for the communal and
constitutional problem of India known as ‘Communal Award’. British Prime minister Ramsay MacDonald announced it
on 16th August 1932. The congress once again abstained from the conference because Gandhi had started his civil
disobedience movement. M. Ali Jinnah did not take part in this conference and Sir Aga Khan led the Muslim
delegation. The Conference could not solve the problems of Hindus & Muslims and proved a formality. Gandhi and
Nehru were in jail. The Conference ended after few meetings without achieving anything.

COMMUNAL AWARD (1932)

The British government gave enough time and chance to Indian leaders to come up with a workable constitutional
setup, after vainly waiting. British government published their own scheme known as Communal Award in 1932. It
retained separate electorate for the Muslims and all other minorities but the Muslims majority in Punjab and Bengal
were reduced to minorities and due to this the Muslims rejected it while the Congress was not happy with this award.

Questions You Should Be Able To Answer:

 Why was the second round table conference of 1931 unsuccessful?
 Why were the three roundtable conference held between 1930 and 1932?
 How successful were the three roundtable conference of 1930-32? Explain your answer?

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA ACT 1935

The roundtable Conference could not solve the constitutional problem of India but they enabled the government to
understand the problems and to take some concrete steps to solve them. The recommendations of these conferences
were contained in a white paper, which was published in 1933 and discussed in the British Parliament. The parliament
passed the bill which was enforced in the country as “Government of India Act, 1935. It was a last set of legislation
provided by the government of India. The act contained two parts, provincial; the provincial part of the Act of 1935
was enforced when general elections in the country was held in 1937 and it remained enforce till the transfer of
power in 1947. Federal part of the act never brought into operation and the Central Government was remained under
the act of 1919.

1) For the first time the provinces were given more authority and power and made them separate entities.
2) The system of “Diarchy” was dropped at the provincial level but introduced at central government level.
3) The supremacy of the British Parliament reminded intact as no Indian Legislatures was authorized to notify or
amend the Constitution.

4) Representatives and responsible government at Provincial level was introduced.

5) The provincial executive was handed over to representatives of the people who were accountable before the
provincial legislature.

6) NWFP was given the full provincial states. Two new provinces of Sindh and Orrisa were created, which increase the
total number of province to eleven.

7) Parliamentary system was introduced and the provinces were given the full autonomy.
8) Every provinces was given a council of ministries whose advice was binding on the governor.
9) The property qualifications was lowered which gave 35million Indians the right to vote (1/4 of India adult
population).

From The Desk of: Sir Junaid Ali “History and Culture of Pakistan” O-LEVELS 2059/01
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Section-II From The Year 1930 To 1939
Evaluation:
This act of 1935 failed to win appreciation from various sector. The political leaders of India rejected it for it failed to
meet the demands of the different political faction. M. Ali Jinnah declared that it was a ‘Defective document’. Raj
Gopalacharia declared it as worse than the system of Diarchy and Nehru called it ‘Charter of Slavery’.

The federal system was defective in many ways. This act provided the basis for negotiations, which is finally resulted in
British leaving India. Parliamentary systems had been set up in which the Indian people were to gain increasing
representation. The people were not given the rights. All authority was vested in the parliament which was a British
institution.

Questions You Should Be Able To Answer:

 Why was there so much opposition to the Government of India Act of 1935?
 Why was the Government of India act of 1935 so important to the future of the Subcontinent?

ELECTIONS (1937) AND CONGRESS MINISTRIES (1937-39)

The government announced to hold election to the provincial legislative assemblies in 1936-37. There was 1771 seats
of provincial assemblies. Although both Muslim league and Congress had rejected the Act of 1935 but still they
decided to contest the elections. The results of the election were shocking for the Muslims of India and for the Muslim
League, which could not get mentionable support from the voters. Congress achieved a big victory and managed to
get clear majority in five provinces and formed coalition in few other provinces (Bombay, Bengal and N.W.F.P) to form
its ministries on the eight provinces. The Muslim league failed to win considerable support.

Reasons For The Defeat Of Muslim League:

• It was the 1st major election of the Muslim league as a mass party.

• Congress was the oldest, richest and best organized political party where as Muslim League was middle class
organization with insufficient funds.

• There was no link between the masses and the leaders of Muslims League who belonged to the high class society.

• As the provincial autonomy was guaranteed according to the act of 1935, so this thing made Muslims league leaders
overconfident and no fear or threat of Hindu domination in the Muslims majority provinces.

Formation Of Ministries:
The Congress adapted a rigid attitude after winning the elections in majority. Congress leaders behaved in a dictated
manner and imposed their own will.
The Congress took offices in eight provinces.
The congress was also reluctant in sharing the power with the Muslims league and laid down degrading conditions for
the Muslim league to be included in the ministry.
The Muslim league rejected these terms and pure Congress ministries were formed.

Congress Atrocities On The Muslims:

The congress began it rule by imposing its will on the Muslim minorities in the provinces under its rule. The Muslims
were forbidden to eat beef. Severe punishments were awarded to those who slaughtered the ‘mother cow’.

Every effort was made to humiliate Islam. A policy was made by the Congress to erase the Muslim’s culture.

Hindi was imposed as the official language in all the provinces. Azan was banned and organized attacks were made on
the Muslims who were busy in worship in the mosques.

From The Desk of: Sir Junaid Ali “History and Culture of Pakistan” O-LEVELS 2059/01
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Section-II From The Year 1930 To 1939
Noisy processions were passed near the mosques at prayer times. Pigs were pushed into the mosques and Azan was
interrupted.

The Muslims lodged complaints with the authorities but the decision were always against the Muslims.

Bande Mataram: It was a song in which degrading remarks were used against the Muslims and Islam written by a
Bengali novelist Bankim Chatterjee. The Congress insisted on commencing the day’s beginning by the recitation of this
Song and also adapted it as the national anthem.

Widdia Mander scheme: This educational policy aimed at converting the non-Hindus to Hinduism. It was introduced
in educational institutes. The students were asked to pay respect and homage to Gandhi’s picture with folded arms in
posture of Hindu worship and sing Hymns in his praise. Dr Zakir Hussain a Congress Muslim was the author of this
Scheme.

Wardha Scheme: A basic education scheme was launched by Gandhi as Wardha, later known as Wardha Scheme and
was introduced in all Congress education ministries. Spinning Cotton by hand was made a part of the school
curriculum and teachings was to be in Hindi. It aimed at creating at creating a high respect among the young minds
about the Hindi heroes and religious leaders. It sought to isolate the young generation of the Muslims from their
religion, culture and civilization. It also aimed at injecting the political ideas of the Congress into the minds of Muslim
children. If completely ignored religion and favored Hindi at the cost of Urdu.

Hindu-Muslims Riots: During the congress rule organized attempts were made on the honor, property and lives of
the Muslims. The Hindus were to assault the Muslims and the properties were set on fire. Muslims children and
women were abducted.

Muslims Mass Contact Campaign: The main objective of this campaign was to crush the popularity of the Muslims
league amongst the Muslim. The campaign began by directly contacting the Muslims masses with a view to win them
over to the Congress.

End Of The Congress Rule: The 2nd World war broke out on 3rd September 1939. The war had a direct impact on
Subcontinent. The British Indian Army was the largest contingent of the British Army. Lord Linlithgow the Viceroy of
India declared the war with Germany by the side of India too. Congress criticized this announcement and passed a
resolution on 15th September 1939. The resolution demanded that India would not be fighting unless it was free.
British Government refused to accept the demand. On 22nd October 1939 the Congress called on all ministries to
resign by saying ‘The war had been declared without consulting the congress Ministries’.

Day Of Deliverance: Thus more than two and half year rule of Congress come to an end. Following the resignation of
the congress ministries. All India Muslim league officially celebrated the ‘Day of Deliverance’ on 22nd December 1939
as a celebration to mark an end of Congress rule, which was based on tyranny, oppression and injustice.

Questions You Should Be Able To Answer:

 Why did Muslims object to the rule of the Congress party between 1937 and 1939?
 Why was Congress rule of 1937-39 hated by the Muslims?
 The main reason why Congress rule 1937-39 was so hated because of the introduction of Wardha Scheme.
Do you agree? Explain your answer.
 Do you agree that the celebration of the ‘Day of Deliverance’ in 1939 was justified? Give reasons for your
answer.

From The Desk of: Sir Junaid Ali “History and Culture of Pakistan” O-LEVELS 2059/01