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Dr. MAHIPAL SINGH RATHORE

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 Bardoli Satyagraha
1925 – Financial troubles in Bardoli taluqa of Surat district.

January 1926 – Government of Bombay Presidency increased

the land revenue by 30%.

Congress leaders organized protests.

Bardoli Inquiry Committee was set up to look into the

matter found that the revenue hike was unjustified.
February 1926 – Vallabhbhai Patel leads
the satyagraha movement.

It is here that the women of Bardoli

gave him the title “Sardar”.

He set up 13 chhavanis or workers’

camps in the taluqa.

Bardoli Satyagraha Patrika published.

Intelligence wing to ensure all peasants were aware of the
movement – those who did not participate, faced social
boycott.

Special emphasis on mobilization of women.

KM Munshi and Lalji Naranji resigned from Bombay

Legislature, in support of the movement.

Bardoli peasants refused to pay revised assessments.

August 1928 – The pressure from the Bardoli Satyagraha
movement forced the Government to cancel the 30% hike in
land revenue.

Maxwell-Broomfield Commission appointed to look into

the matter.

The Commission decided the raise in taxes to just 6.03%.

Peasants celebrated the victory of Bardoli Satyagraha.

However, the basic problems of the peasants were left

unsolved, and bonded labour continued.
Edward Wood/Viceroy Irwin
Viceroy of India from 1926 to 1931.

1927 – Appointed Harcourt Butler

Indian States Commission.

Examined relations between native

Indian states and the “paramount
power”, because the Montford
Reforms had created Chamber of
Princes (vague and advisory body
only).
 1929 – Butler Committee Recommendations
• Paramountcy must remain supreme.

• The princely states were bound by treaties with the Crown.

Therefore, the princely states should not be handed over

without the ruler’s prior consent to an Indian Government in
British India responsible to an Indian Legislature.

• The Viceroy was to be the Crown agent in dealing states (not the
Governor-General in Council of the Princely State).
 A lookback at the gathering storm
In the 1920s – Many Parliamentary committee reports in Britain, laid
down the failure of the Government of India Act, 1919.

Lee Commission = British government’s failure to recruit enough

British officers.

Muddinman Commission = deadlock in the diarchic form of

government.

Linlithgow Commission = crisis in Indian agriculture.

• The Government of India Act 1919, had a provision that a
commission would be appointed after 10 years, to study the
progress of the government schemes and suggest new steps.

The commission was due in 1929.

However, the Conservative government in Britain feared defeat

in the hands of the Labour Party.

Did not want to leave the question of Britain’s largest colony –

India – “in irresponsible Labour hands.”
 Simon Commission
8th November 1927 – A seven-
member Indian Statutory
Commission, popularly known as the
Simon Commission (after the name
of its chairman Sir John Simon) was
appointed.
• The commission was to
recommend to the Government
whether India was ready for
further constitutional reforms and
on what lines.
• What angered the Indians
most was the exclusion of
Indians from the
commission.
• Indians were against the
appointment of an all-
white commission.
• The basic notion behind
the exclusion was that
foreigners would discuss
and decide upon India’s
fitness for self-
government.
December 1927 – Delhi Proposals of the Muslim League.

1. Joint electorates instead of separate electorates; with

reserved seats for Muslims.

2. One-third representation to Muslims in Central Legislative

Assembly.

3. Representation to Muslims in Punjab and Bengal, in

proportion to their population.
4. Formation of 3 new Muslim provinces – Balochistan, Sindh,
NWFP.
 Hindu Mahasabha Demands
• Against the creation of 3 new Muslim provinces.

• Against reservation of seats for Muslims in Punjab and

Bengal (it would ensure Muslim League control over
legislatures in these provinces).

• In favour of strict unitary government (not federal).

December 1927 – The Congress session in Madras, meeting
under the presidency of M.A. Ansari decided to boycott the
commission “at every stage and in every form”.

The Congress also accepted the 4 Delhi Proposals of the

Muslim League.
Other groups that supported the Congress boycott of the Simon
Commission –

1. Liberal faction within the Hindu Mahasabha

2. Majority faction of the Muslim League under Jinnah.

Groups that did not join the boycott –

Muhammad Shafi faction of the Muslim League supported the

Simon Commission
Unionists of Punjab
Justice Party in southern India
• Left wing leaders Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhas
Chandra Bose attracted youth and students, during
their extensive travels to campaign against the Simon
Commission.

This spread socialist ideas among groups like –

Punjab Naujawan Bharat Sabha

Workers’ and Peasants’ Parties
Hindustani Sewa Dal (Karnataka).
3rd February 1928 – The Simon Commission landed in Bombay.

• On that day, a countrywide hartal was organised and mass

rallies held.

• Wherever the commission went, there were black flag

demonstrations, hartals and slogans of ‘Simon Go Back’.
30th October 1928 – At Lahore,
students took out a large and
peraceful anti-Simon Commission
demonstration under the leadership
of Lala Lajpat Rai.

He was seriously injured in the

police Lathi charge and he passed
away after few weeks.
 Birkenhead’s Challenge
On the protests and rejection of Simon
Commission by Indian politicians, Lord
Birkenhead, the Secretary of State for India,
challenged Indians to form their own
constitution or framework for India’s political
reforms, based on consensus from all
communities (Hindus,Muslims,Sikhs ,etc) and
political groups.
 Nehru Report 1928
• To answer to Lord Birkenhead’s
challenge, an All Parties Conference led
by INC met in February 1928.

• They appointed a subcommittee under

the chairmanship of Motilal Nehru to
draft a constitution. (Jawaharlal Nehru
was the secretary.)

• This was the first major attempt by

Indians to draft a constitutional
framework for the country.

• The report was finalised by August 1928.

 Major Recommendations of Nehru Report

• Dominion status on lines of self-governing dominions like Australia

and Canada. (within a year)

• There should be federal form of government with residuary

powers vested in the centre.

• Rejection of separate electorates which had been the basis of

constitutional reforms so far.

• Linguistic provinces.
• Nineteen fundamental rights including equal rights for women,
right to form unions, and universal adult suffrage.

• Full responsible government at the centre along with autonomy

to the provinces.

• A bicameral legislature at the centre.

• Clear cut division of power between the centre and provinces.

• Full protection to cultural and religious interests of Muslims &

complete dissociation of state from religion.
 Response to Nehru Report
• Muslim League, Hindu Mahasabha and the Sikh communalists were
unhappy about the Nehru Report.

• The younger section of the Congress led by Jawaharlal Nehru and

Subhash Bose were also angry over dominion status.

Instead, they demanded that the Congress adopt Purna Swaraj or

complete independence as its goal.
In the All parties meeting at Calcutta in December 1928,
Jinnah moved certain amendments to the Nehru Report.

But these amendments were not accepted by Congress.

So Jinnah et al refused to participate further in the

conference.
According to Mohammad Ali Jinnah:

“The Committee has adopted a narrow minded policy to ruin

the political future of the Muslims.
I regret to declare that the report is extremely ambiguous
and does not deserve to be implemented.
The inability of Congress to concede these points must be
considered a major factor in the eventual partition of India’’.
 The Muslim League’s main objections were:

• Separate electorates and Weightage — the 1916 Congress-Muslim

League agreement Lucknow Pact provided these to the Muslim
community whereas they were rejected by the Nehru Report.

• Residuary powers — the Muslims realized that while they would be

a majority in the provinces of the North-East and North-West of
India, and hence would control their provincial legislatures, they
would always be a minority at the Centre.

Thus they demanded that residuary powers go to the provinces.

 Jinnah’s Fourteen Points
1929
Jinnah after consulting the Muslim
leaders formulated the “Fourteen
Points” for safeguarding the rights
and interests of the Muslims in any
future constitution of the country.
 Here are these 14 points:

1. The form of the future constitution should be Federal, with the

residuary power vested in the provinces.

2. A uniform measure of the autonomy shall be granted to all

provinces.

3. All legislatures in the country and other elected bodies shall be

constituted on the definite principle of adequate and effective
representation of minorities in every province without reducing
the majority in any province to minority or even equality.
4. In the Central legislature Muslim representation shall not be less
than one third.

5. Representation of the communal groups shall continue to be by

separate electorates provided that it shall be open to any community
at any time to abandon its separate electorate in favour of the joint
electorates.

6. Any territorial redistribution that might at any time be necessary

shall not in any way affect the Muslim majority in Punjab, Bengal
and NWF Province.

7. Full religious liberty that is liberty of belief, worship and observance,

propaganda, association and education shall be guaranteed to all
communities.
8. No bill or resolution or any part there of shall be passed in
any legislature or any other elected body if three fourth of
the members of any community in that particular body
oppose it being injurious to that of the community.

9. Sindh should be separated from the Bombay Presidency.

10. Reforms should be made in the NWF Province and

Baluchistan.
11. Provision should be made in the Constitution giving Muslims an
adequate share along with the other Indians in all the services of the
State and Local self Governing bodies having due regard to the
requirements of efficiency.

12. The Constitution should embody adequate safeguards to the

protection of the Muslim Culture, education, language, religion,
personal laws, and Muslim charitable institutions. They should get
their due share in grant-in-aid.
13. No cabinet, either central or provincial, should be formed without
there being at least one third of the Muslim Ministers.

14. No change shall be made in the constitution by the Central

legislature except with the concurrence of the states constituting the
Indian Federation.
 Irwin Declaration
June 1929 – A new Labour government took office in the UK, with Ramsay
MacDonald Prime Minister and William Wedgwood Benn as Secretary of
State for India.

July 1929 – Viceroy Irwin arrived in the UK on leave, bringing with him a
"suggested" draft exchange of letters between MacDonald and Simon.

His plan was for Simon to write proposing a Round Table Conference to
discuss the findings of the Commission, and that MacDonald would then
reply pointing out that the 1917 Montagu Declaration implied a
commitment to dominion status (i.e. that India should become
completely self-governing, like Canada or Australia).
• Simon saw the drafts and had serious misgivings about the
planned Round Table Conference.

Afraid that now self-government/dominion status would

be expected by Indians.
Diwali Declaration – The Irwin Declaration of October 1929
committed Britain to eventual Dominion Status for India.

Despite such a policy having been implicit for a decade, the

Declaration was denounced by the right wing Conservative Party.

Former viceroy Lord Reading and Simon himself forced Viceroy

Irwin to go back on his words.
Lahore Congress session and Poorna Swaraj
The following major decisions were taken at the Lahore session of INC in
December 1929:

1. The Round Table Conference was to be boycotted.

2. Complete independence (Poorna Swaraj) declared as the aim of the

Congress.

3. CWC authorised to launch a programme of civil disobedience.

4. January 26, 1930 fixed as the first Independence Day, to be celebrated

everywhere.
 Delhi Manifesto
2nd November 1929 – A conference of prominent national leaders
issued a “Delhi Manifesto” which demanded:
that the purpose of the Round Table Conferences (RTC), promised
by Lord Irwin, should be to formulate a scheme for implementation
of the dominion status;
that the Congress should have majority representation at the
conference;
Amnesty and a general policy of conciliation.

23rd December 1929 – Viceroy Irwin rejected these demands, which

led to the demand of Purna Swaraj in Lahore session of INC.
31st December 1929 - at midnight on the banks of River Ravi, the
newly adopted tricolour flag of freedom was hoisted amidst slogans
of Inquilab Zindabad.
26th January 1930 – The declaration of Poorna Swarajya was
publicly issued.

• Nehru made an appeal to volunteers across the country to join

the civil disobedience movement.

* INC celebrated Independence day every year on 26th

January since 1930.
May 1930 – Report of the Simon Commission was published.

It stated that the constitutional experiment with Diarchy

was unsuccessful – therefore dyarchy should be abolished.

In its place the report recommended the establishment of

representative government in the provinces.

This report also became the basis for enacting the

Government of India Act of 1935.
Rejected Parliamentary responsibility at the centre.

Governor-General to have complete powers to appoint

members of the cabinet.

Government of India would exercise complete control over

the High Court.

Separate electorates retained; no universal adult

franchisee.
• Consultative Council of Greater India to be established to include
representatives of provinces of British India + Princely States.

• NWFP and Balochistan should get local legislatures, and should

be represented at the centre.

• Sindh should be separated from Bombay; Burma should be

separated from India.

• Royal Indian Army should be Indianised; but British forces must

be retained.