Election 1937 • Provincial elections were held in British
India in the winter of 1936-37 as mandated by the
Government of India Act 1935
• Elections were held in eleven provinces
• Madras, Central Provinces, Bihar, Orissa, United
Provinces, Bombay Presidency, Assam, NWFP, Bengal,
Punjab and Sindh
• The final results of the elections were declared in
February 1937
• The Indian National Congress emerged in power in all the
provinces except for three - Bengal, Punjab, and Sindh
• The All-India Muslim League failed to form the
government in any province
• The Congress ministries resigned in October and
November 1939, in protest against Viceroy Lord
Linlithgow's action of declaring India to be a loud-mouthed
in the Second World War without consulting the Indian
people
The election results were a blow to the League.
• Jinnah was offered to form coalitions with the Congress
• The League insisted that the Congress should not
nominate any Muslims to the ministries
• (the League) claimed to be the exclusive representative
of Indian Muslims
•This was not acceptable to the Congress, and it declined
the League's offer
•In three additional provinces, Central Provinces, Bihar,
and Orissa, the Congress won clear majorities.
•In the overwhelmingly Muslim North-West Frontier
Province, Congress won 19 out of 50 seats and was able,
with minor party support, to form a ministry
Sind • Sindh Legislative Assembly had 60 members
• The Sindh United Party emerged as leader with 22 seats,
and the Congress secured 8 seats
• Jinnah tried to set up a League Parliamentary Board in
Sindh in 1936, but he failed, though 72% of the population
was Muslim.
• Though 34 seats were reserved for Muslims, the Muslim
League could secure none of them
Punjab • The Unionist Party under Sikander Hyat Khan
formed the government in Punjab with 67 out of 175 seats.
• The Congress won 18 seats
Bangal • In Bengal, though the Congress was the largest
party (with 52 seats), The Krishak Praja Party of A. K. Fazl ul
Huq (with 36 seats) was able to form a coalition
government
United Provinces • The UP legislature consisted of a
Legislative Council of 52 and a Legislative Assembly of 228
elected members
• The Congress won a clear majority in the United
Provinces, with 133 seats, while the Muslim League won
only 27 out of the 64 seats reserved for Muslims
Congress ministries
Outline:
• Introduction:
• Aspects of Congress Ministries
• Atrocities of Congress Ministries:
• Muslim Reaction
• Resignation of Congress Ministries
• Impacts of Congress Ministries:
• Conclusion
Introduction •The establishment of Congress Ministries
was a unique episode in the Modern history of Political
India
• It was for the first time that the responsible government
was established
Congress Ministries • Under Britain rule and for the first
time, Indians were able to form their own government But
the Congress rule was not free from controversy
• Rule was marked by the Congress discrimination and
atrocities against the Muslims
• It proved to be a turning point in the history of Hindu-
Muslim co-existence
• Congress ministries had defining role in the alienation of
Muslim India from the yoke of Hindu India
Atrocities of Congress
• Congress conspiracies against All India Muslim League
(AIML)
• Hindu Conspiracies to erode the identity of Muslims
• Economic Exploitation
• Religious interference
• Communal Violence
i. Congress conspiracy against All India Muslim League
(AIML)
• Congress started its efforts to destroy All India Muslim
League (AIML) in the subcontinent
• Congress refused to form the coalition governments with
the All India Muslim League in the provinces of the
subcontinent
a) Congress humiliating conditions for AIML in
UP
UP s a province had a great importance due to four factors;
like the citadel of Mughal glory, development of Hindu
culture due to Hindu-Muslim social intermixture, and the
‘home province of Nehru
 • Ahmad Saeed wrote in his book, “Trek to Pakistan”,
“It was commonly and popularly believed that
agreement between the Hindus and the Muslims in this
province was bound to throw its shadow on the whole of
the subcontinent.”
• Mualana Azad, the, president of the Congress wrote a
letter to Ch Khaliq-uz-Zaman about the formation of
coalition government But this letter had the following
conditions
Conditions to join Collusion Govt.
• The UP Muslim League Parliamentary Party cease to exist
• The existing members of the Muslim League Party in the
Assembly shall become a part of the Congress Party
• Muslim League Parliamentary Board would be dissolved
and the League would not be put up its own candidates in
any future elections
• In the event the Congress Party deciding on resignation
from the Ministry or the Assembly seats, the new members
would follow suit
Muslim League, therefore, rejected these terms and a pure
Congress ministry was formed in the United Provinces
b) Role in the fall of Sir Saad Ullah government in Assam
• Congress played a major role in the fall of Sir SaadUllah
government in Assam
• Khalid bin Sayeed mentions about the remarks of Sir
Harry Haig, Goyernor of UP,
“The enthusiasm of the masses for Congress Raj melted
imperceptibly into idea of Hindu Raj, which were certainly
prevalent throughout the Province. These ideas were
deeply resented by the Muslims, who were invincibly
determined not to be ruled by the Hindus.”
c) Nehru’s Mass contact campaign
Nehru and the Congress leaders started to build direct link
with the Muslims and tried to remove their “narrow
mindedness” and prejudice against the Hindus
• Though they offered ministries to the Leaguers, but they
had to sign unconditionally
• Meanwhile Congress also hired the services of Maulvis to
create split among the Muslims
ii. Hindu Conspiracies to erode the identity of Muslims
Educational policies: • Immediately after coming to
power, the Congress declared a Tri-colour flag (Taranga)
as the national flag and Band-e-Matram as national
anthem
a) Wardha Educational Scheme was prepared
• Co-education
• Teaching of music as compulsory
• The publication of books described and propagated that
all the religions were genuine and, therefore, there was no
need to follow any particular religion for salvation
b) In Behar and C.P., a new scheme known as Vidhya Mender
Scheme
• The Muslims were supposed to study Hindi or Marhati
language
• The Muslims rejected such proposals and started
agitation in front of the secretariat at Nagpur in January,
1939.
• Muslim students were persuaded to bow before the
portrait of Gandhi
iii. Economic Exploitation. • The doors of employment
Opportunities for the Muslims were closed by the Congress
Party
• Economic exploitation for the Muslims Business
iv.Religious interference • They prohibited the cow
slaughtering and introduced the criminal laws against the
claimants of this rule, such steps were against the religious
beliefs and practices of the Muslims
Communal Violence • During the Congress governed
provinces communal riots started between the Muslims
and the Hindus
• Till august of 1939, there had been 57 communal riots
with 11,100 casualties
Muslim Reaction • Muslim league tried to cope up
situation through constitutional wars and tried hard to find
rapprochement with Hindus
• In 1938, AIML passed a resolution and asked Congress to
address the major grievances of Muslims
• AIML was forced to change its creed and Quaid-e
presented Pir-Purreport, ShareefReport,Fazl-ul- Haq
Report
• Resignation of Congress Ministries:
• Muslims observed 22’ October, 1939 as ‘Day of
Deliverance’
• Congress resigned on the pretext that Britain inducted
army in World War II Without the approved consent of
Congress and representative institutions
The Pirpur Report: • The first report is entitled as the
PIRPUR REPORT which came out on March 28, 1938, the
Council of ML appointed an eight-member committee
under the president ship of Raja Syed Muhammad Mehdi
of Pirpur that presented its report on, November 15, 1938.
It tried to dig out the cruelties of the Congress ministries in
seven provinces. This report also talks about the policies
which the Congress in different provinces and how those
policies adversely affected the people of those provinces.
The Sharif Report, March 1939 • There is another report
the Sharif Report that was released in March 1939, and this
report focuses on the province of Bihar, what was the
Congress ministries doing in Bihar and how the Muslims
suffered under the govt. of Congress in Bihar. The ML
deputed Mr. Sharif with members to investigate the
injustices under the dictatorial rule of the Hindus. This
report mainly collected the facts, concentrating on ill
treatment of the government with the Muslims in Bihar.
The Fazl-ul- Haq Report: (December 1939) • The third
report is a statement or a detailed account given by the
chief minister of Bengal A. K. Fazl-ul-Haq, who published a
pamphlet entitled Muslim Sufferings Under the Rule of
Congress and made many alarming revelations e.g.
forbidding of Azan, attacks in mosques, noisy processions
of the Hindu scoundrels, forbidding of the cow-slaughter
etc. This pamphlet responded the indictments by the
Congress on the Muslims.
Impacts of Congress Ministries
Alienation of Muslim India from Hindus
• Congress ministries shattered all the dreams of united
India and Hindu Muslim unity
• Muslims became thoroughly alienated from India and
became disillusioned from the policies of Congress
• It is evident from the rising popularity of League during
by polls.
Exposed Hindu Mentality: • Muslims realized that Hindu
Congress could never be sincere to Muslims
• Hindus want to establish Ram Raj in Indian Congress
ministries created among the Muslims a realization that
the rule of Congress was a trailer if they occupied power,
what they would do to Muslims
• The Congress would reduce the Muslims to the perpetual
minority, groaning under the yoke of tyrant majority
Deep sense of insecurity among Muslims: • Congress rule
aroused a deep Muslim Suspicion that Hindu can never be
their friends and it went a long way in shaping their future.
Gave strong Impetus! Boost to Muslim Nationalism: •
Congress rule reinforced Muslim belief in their exclusive
identity
• This led to tow — nation theory and specific ideology i.e.
ideology of Pakistan
Transformation in the Outlook of Jinnah • Congress
Ministries brought a paradigm shift in the strategy of
Jinnah
• In the beginning Jinnah was willing to form coalition
ministries and cooperate with it, later he became
champion of Muslim and Pakistan cause
• He started his campaign and emerged as a sole Muslim
leader
Popularity of Demand of Pakistan: • 1938 that Sind
Assembly passed a resolution in favor of Pakistan.
• Jinnah instructed the Muslim Leaders to look into various
partition proposals
• In February, 1940 The proposal was laid open for
discussion during the 27 annual session of AIML which was
held between 22-24 March which is known as Lahore
Resolution
• Brought Muslim Provincial Leaders close to Jinnah
• Those Muslim leaders like MoulviFazalHaq, Sir
SikandarHayat, Sir Saadullah Khan feared the dominance of
Congress and joined AIML
Jinnah emerged as an undisputed leader of Muslims: •
Jinnah rose as an undisputed Muslim Leader and sole
spokesman of League
• He was bestowed with the title of Quaid-e during Patna
session of League in 1938
• This was also synchronized in the change of Jinnah’s cap
and shairwani, a typical Muslim dress which symbolized
that he had changed his role from champion of Hindu-
Muslim unity to the champion of Muslim separatism in
India
Significance of Muslims in British eyes • this created a
vacuum which was eventually filled by Muslims
• British realized the importance of Muslim India as it
needed Muslim support for their war efforts
• British realized that there were not two parties, but three
parties, Hindus, Muslims and British
• This change in British outlook is also evident from the
British policies in 1940s as all their offers / packages! deals
for Hindu Muslim question gave Substantial weightage. to
the Muslim demands.
• August offer, Cripps Mission, Cabinet Mission, 3 June Plan
are examples of it.