Treaty of Lucknow (1916)

When the partition of Bengal made by the British government in 1905 was canceled in 1911,
there was a huge reaction among the Muslims and anti-British mentality became evident.
Meanwhile, when the First World War started in 1914, both Hindu and Muslim communities
helped the British. In this changing situation, there is a change in attitude between the National
Congress, which leads the Hindu community, and the Muslim League, which leads the
Muslims. This paved the way for Hindu-Muslim unity. On 23 and 30 December 1916 at
Lucknow, the Congress and Muslim League annual sessions were attended by delegations of
both parties and created an environment of compromise. Both the parties reached a
compromise on India's constitutional reforms in a joint session known as the 'Lucknow Pact'.
Through this agreement, the nationalist spirit of both Hindu and Muslim communities was
strengthened.

Lucknow Pact background

Several events played a role in creating the background to the Lucknow Treaty.
Limitations of the Morley-Minto Reform Act:
In 1909, the Indian Secretary Lord Morley and Borolat Minto passed the Morley-Minto
Reform Act. In this reform act, the Muslim community was given the right to elect members
separately in the legislature. Many historians have opined that the British government, by
adopting the policy of communal representation, helped create divisions and hatreds between
the Hindu-Muslim communities. The Congress and the Hindu Mahasabha strongly criticized
the system of separate elections for Muslims. Muslims expressed immediate satisfaction, but
within days realized the limitations of this law. As Sir Reginald Cupland has rightly said, "The
last rope and responsibility for the good governance of India rested largely in the hands of the
British Parliament under the Morley-Minto Reform Act." As a result, this law failed to meet
the demands of both Hindu Muslim communities. The Muslim League continued to put more
pressure on the British government to establish a responsible government in India and protect
the interests of Muslims. Congress and Muslim League criticized the government soon after
the legislation was enacted. Sir William Wedderburn (Wedderburn) emphasized Hindu-
Muslim communal harmony in his address to the Allahabad session of the Congress in 1910.
He insisted on discussing the matter with the Muslim League leaders. From 1910 onwards, a
section of the Muslim community began to hold the view that the political development of
India required the involvement of the Muslim community with the mainstream of Indian
nationalism. In the session of the Nikhil Bharat Muslim League held at Nagpur in December
1910, friendly remarks were made towards the Hindu community. In the presidential address,
Syed Nabiullah ordered Muslims to follow the ideal of self-reliance. He called for frequent
meetings of Hindu and Muslim legislators. He commented that it will be possible to play a
role in the interests of both communities. At the same time he highlighted the need for Hindu
Muslim unity. However, after the partition of Bengal and the Balkan war, the Pan-Islamic
doctrine had a great impact.
Hindu Muslim meeting in Allahabad in 1911:
A conference of Hindus and Muslims was held in Allahabad in January 1911, the month after
the Nagpur session of the Muslim League. 60 Hindu and 40 Muslim leaders participated in it.
Surendranath Banerjee, Madan Mohan Maravia, Motilal Nehru, Gopal Krishna Gokhale
among Hindus and Nawab Vikar-ul-Mulk, Aga Khan, Ibrahim, Rahimullah, Syed Mohammad
among Muslims were present. Although this conference was not an immediate success. But
recommendations are presented here to improve relations between the two communities.
Abolition of partition of Bengal:
In December 1911, when the British government announced the abrogation of partition of
Bengal, the Muslims were angry and disappointed. As a result, Muslims lost trust and faith in
the British. Naturally, English opposition was born in the minds of the educated Muslims of
East Bengal. Nawab Salimullah, Nawab Vikar-ul-Mulk, Maulana Muhammad Ali and other
leaders protested. At first all that Among the Muslims who took a stand against the partition
of Bengal, Nawab Atiqullah, Barrister Abdur Rasul, Ismail Hossain Siraji protested against
the partition of Bengal. Many Muslim leaders and youths opposed the policy of showing
loyalty to the British government.
Ignoring Muslim demand to elevate Aligarh College to Aligarh University:
Another reason for Muslim anger was the government's reluctance to elevate Aligarh College
to a university. Muslims demanded that Muslim colleges anywhere in India should be
incorporated into Aligarh University. Baralat himself was sympathetic to this proposal. But
the Muslims were disappointed when the Indian Secretary directly rejected the proposal.
Liberal and progressive outlook of Muslim League leaders:
This growing resentment and discontent against the British had a profound impact on Muslim
politics. The Muslim League's elite leaders were severely criticized for their British loyalty
and strong anti-Hinduism. Maulana Muhammad Ali, Hakim Ajmal Khan, Hasan Imam,
Maulana Zafar Ali Khan, Mazharul Haque, Maulana Dr. Ansari, Maulana Shaukat Ali, Shibli
Nomani, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad became the new leadership of Muslims. When
Muhammad Ali Jinnah joined the Muslim League in 1912, the quality of the Muslim League
changed. Some of the early Ulama of Deoband were associated with this school. Beyond the
orthodox religious ideology centered around Aligarh University, youth from progressive and
middle-class communities came forward with liberal political views. Maulana Abul Kalam
Azad, in his edited newspaper Al Hilal, called Aligarh College a "fortress of reaction" and
Aligarh leaders as "heretics and hypocrites". Shibli Nomani termed Aligarh College as an
'institution of slavery education'. By 1912, these young men took over the leadership of the
Muslim League. As a result, the leadership of the upper elite community of the Muslim League
ended and the Muslim League became an organization of the middle classes. This new
leadership was sympathetic to the Congress in mentality and outlook.
Change in attitude of the Congress leadership:
Like the Muslim League, the Congress also felt the wind of change. The sharp conflict between
the moderates and the extremists which had weakened the Congress gradually subsided and
the two sides were forced to come closer under the pressure of the situation. Among the
moderates, the death of Gokhale, Feroz Shah, Umesh Chandra, Ramesh Chandra Dutt,
burdened by the age of Dada Bhai Naoroji led to organizational weakness. Annie Besant
Homerule or from 1914 Attempts were made to unite the Congress in the demand for
autonomy. Finally in 1916. Congress was united in the Lucknow session. Thus a united
Congress and a changed outlook paves the way for Hindu-Muslim unity. Muslim League
The role of the Muslim leaders of East Bengal:
The new leaders of East Bengal who were most angry with the rejection of the partition of
Bengal voiced their opposition to the British. In April 1913 in the session of the Provincial
Muslim League in Dhaka, A. K. Fazlul Haque strongly criticized the British government's
policy against Muslim interests. He emphasized that India's independence movement will be
strengthened if Hindus and Muslims are united. He also joined the Congress as a member of
the Muslim League to set an example. Barrister Abdur Rasul also acted with the same attitude
at this time. Thus an environment of Hindu Muslim cooperation was created.
Role of Muslim Intellectuals:
Several Muslim writers and poets raised awareness in Muslim society through literary works.
Notable among them were Shibli, Akbar, Iqbal. Abul Kalam Azad's Al Hilal published in
Urdu, Zamindar edited by Zafar Ali Khan, Muhammad Ali's Comrade published in English
and Hamdad published in Urdu played a leading role in this regard. These contributed to
rousing Muslims against British rule.
Hostile policy of the British government towards the Muslim world:
At that time there were external reasons for the hatred of the Hindus and Muslims towards the
British government. From the first decade of the 20th century, Islamic doctrine spread widely
in the Muslim world. The followers of this doctrine called for the unity of the Muslims of the
world to achieve independence against the British and foreign domination. Their activism led
to a change in attitude towards the Aligarh movement in the Indian subcontinent, whose main
objective was to improve the condition of Muslims through British cooperation. In addition,
the British government's policy towards the Balkan wars and the Turkish Empire angered the
Indian Muslims. Indian Muslims considered the Sultan of Turkey to be the Caliph or religious
leader. In October 1911, Italy occupied Tripoli, part of the Turkish Empire. The first Balkan
war against Turkey began the following year. After the end of the war with the Treaty of
London in 1913, the plight of Turkey was exposed to the public. Meanwhile, Britain's ally
Russia attacked Persia under the British-Russian treaty. British government at that time Turkey
The Muslims were angry at the lack of assistance. When the First World War broke out in
1914, an angry Türkiye sided with Germany. As a result, the hatred of the English among the
Muslims increased. Besides, the oppression of Indians by whites in South Africa created
tension between the Hindu and Muslim population in India.
Major changes in the constitution of the Muslim League:
The Nagpur Conference of 1910 recommended changes in the constitution of the Muslim
League. Accordingly, a new constitution was adopted in the Lucknow Session of the Muslim
League in March 1913. The aim of the League was to achieve autonomy and joint ventures
with other communities were announced. This created a favorable environment for building a
cooperative relationship with the Congress. From then on Congress and League held their
annual sessions at the same time and place (this trend continued till 1919). 1915 Congress and
League session held in Bombay city. Mahatma Gandhi, Madan Mohan Malviya, Sarojini
Naidu attended the League session. In the session, both the parties criticized the government
policies and emphasized on the unity of both the communities. Congress President S. P. Sinha,
League President Mazhar-ul-Haq, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, A.K. Fazlul Haque, Barrister Abdur
Rasool and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad emphasized Muslim cooperation.
Repressive policy of the British government towards the Muslim leaders:
Repressive policy towards the Muslim leaders to suppress the anti-British movement also
angered the Muslims. In 1915 Maulana Abul Kalam Azad's Al Hilal, a newspaper of Maulana
Muhammad Ali's comrade, was closed down by the government. Maulana Muhammad Ali,
his brother Maulana Shawkat Ali, Maulana Zafar Ali, Abul Kalam Azad were interned for
opposing the British. In these incidents, the Muslim nationalists became interested in
cooperating with the Congress.
Bombay Session of Congress and Muslim League (1915):
In 1915, the annual session of Congress and League was held in Bombay. This is the first time
that the session of the two organizations is held at the same place. League session Congress
leader S. N. Sinha, Annie Besant joined. Congress Volunteers Muslim League, Muslim
League volunteers work in Congress Conferences. 'Ektai Shakti' was written in large letters at
the entrance of the League session. In this session, the leaders of both the parties emphasized
on Hindu-Muslim unity.
Proceedings of the Calcutta Reform Committee (1916):
A Reform Committee was formed in 1916 consisting of both parties in Calcutta to outline the
reform plan. This committee on the eve of the Lucknow session
Jointly draft a reform proposal. 13. Lucknow Session (1916) In December 1916, the Congress
and the annual session of the Muslim League was held. The reform proposal was accepted by
the Congress on 29 December in the Muslim League session on 31 December. In the session
of the Muslim League at Lucknow.
Muhammad Ali Jinnah presided. Bengal representative Abdur Rasul Sannan presented the
plan and Fazlul Haque seconded the proposal. The reform proposal adopted by the Congress
and the League at the Lucknow Session is known as the 'Lucknow Pact'. The agreement
included decentralization, provincial autonomy, community-based elections and Indianisation
 Clauses of Lucknow Treaty
The salient clauses of this agreement are:
1. Muslim League and Congress together to establish autonomy in India
3. One third of the elected members shall be Muslim members and they are by Muslims
Movement will. 2. The number of members of the Central Legislature will be 150. Of these,
four-fifths will be elected and one-fifth will be nominated.
4. Regarding the provincial members, it is said that the provincial council will be formed with
125 members in big provinces and 50-75 members in small provinces.
5. If three-fourth members of a community oppose it, no bill affecting the interests of that
community can be passed.
6. The foreign, political and military departments will be in the hands of the Centre. Besides
taxes, duties, railways, Post and cable will be in the hands of the Centre.
7. Provincial autonomy and control of the provincial economy are vested in the hands of the
provincial government
have to do The governor will be the head of the province. 8. Half of the members of the
Governing Council of the Governor General shall be Indians.
9. The Indian Secretary shall dissolve the Indian Council and appoint two Indian Assistant
Secretaries to assist him.
10. More Indians should be employed in the military.

Significance of Lucknow Pact

The Treaty of Lucknow marked an important chapter in the political history of British India.
Establishment of Hindu-Muslim unity:
This agreement was the first document of political unity of both Hindu-Muslim communities.
The Lucknow Pact bridged communal harmony between the two communities after the Hindu
Muslim communal riots centered around the Hindu anti-Bengal movement and the Swadeshi
movement. 2. Foundations of Freedom Movement: Through the Treaty of Lucknow, Hindus
and Muslims came together to forget their long-standing bitterness and simultaneously
demanded political rights from the British government. After the agreement, the Congress and
the League presented their speeches in the Legislative Council in a similar tone to achieve the
goals of the agreement. Until now, the British government was accustomed to suppressing
nationalist movements through traditional policies of separatism and repression. In order to
bring nationalist public opinion in favor of the changed situation, on August 20, 1917, Indian
Secretary Montagu announced that the policy of the British government is to give gradual
autonomy to establish a responsible government in India. The government largely accepted
the Laxmau Agreement with some modifications in the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms Act of
1919. However, this did not please any community. Rather, the Rowlatt Act and the
Jallianwala Bagh massacre angered them. So the freedom movement continued. Keeping this
goal in mind, the anti-British Khilafat and non-cooperation movement continued. Through the
Swaraj movement, the demands of the freedom movement continued to progress towards
success.
Recognition of Muslim League and Muslim political entity:
The agreement resulted in the express recognition of the Muslim League as a separate political
entity of Muslims by the Congress. In this treaty separate suffrage for Muslims was sanctioned.
Although some politicians and historians have criticized it. But in view of the actual situation
it was a timely decision.
Role of the Pact in framing the Constitution of India:
The Lucknow Pact was the first important step taken by the Congress and the Muslim League
in framing a constitution for India. As a result, Hindu-Muslims jointly got an opportunity to
present their demands before the British government. Later, many aspects of the Laxmau
Treaty were adopted by the British government in enacting the Reform Acts.
Introduction of constitutional and non-communal politics:
An extreme communal atmosphere prevailed in the political sphere between Hindus and
Muslims. Instead, an atmosphere of secularism was created through the Lucknow Pact. This
is the first time both the communities have come closer after a long rivalry. Congress moderate
Surendranath, extremist Tilak, Lucknow session president Muhammad Ali Jinnah came
together in a row and agreed for autonomy. Tilak Lucknow, known as an orthodox Hindu,
played a leading role in the treaty. On the other hand, the young Muslim League leader
Muhammad Ali Jinnah set a precedent of secularism in the party. Because of this Gokhale
called Jinnah a 'pioneer' of Hindu-Muslim unity and the Congress was also united around the
pact. Extremists and moderates together give a new shape to the Congress. The Muslim League
also acquired a liberal outlook.

Criticism of the Lucknow Pact

The Lakshmana Pact also drew a storm of criticism among politicians and historians. One
party is in favor of it, the other party is against it. Surendranath Banerjee, Tilak, Muhammad
Ali Jinnah welcomed this agreement. A. K. Fazlul Haque voted in favor of the agreement. But
many Hindu politicians and historians are against it. A section of Muslims strongly criticized
it.
Mahatma Gandhi himself dismissed the claim that the Lucknow Pact was a symbol of Hindu-
Muslim unity. He termed the pact as an understanding between educated and wealthy Hindus
and educated and wealthy Muslim leaders. According to him, there was no real interest of
common Hindus and Muslims in this agreement. Judith Brown commented that the agreement
was not built on a far-reaching basis of unity, but rather that a few politicians on both sides
tried to form a united resistance against the government by papering over the cracks of both
communities for their own interests. Historians' most critical criticism against the treaty is that
the treaty emphasized the separate existence of both the Hindu-Muslim communities and the
misconception of the separate interests of the two communities. Some accused separate
franchises, the compromise with the Muslim League, of institutionally recognizing
communalism. Bipin Chandra Pal said that the agreement had left the door open for the return
of communalism in Indian politics. Historian Ramesh Chandra Majumder has said in the same
vein that the Congress leadership showed extreme short-sightedness by accepting the
communal formula to achieve political unity and thus laid the real foundation of the Pakistan
movement in Indian politics.
Naturally, the prevailing attitude towards the Congress and the Muslim League also changed.
The agreement proved that Hindus and Muslims are two separate nations in India and their
interests are also different. In other words, the claims or propaganda that Congress used to
promote as an organization of all Indians irrespective of Hindus and Muslims, proved to be
wrong. Muslims identified the Congress as a purely Hindu institution; It is also accepted in the
agreement. Mohammad Durrani, one of Pakistan's advocates, said that through the agreement,
it was recognized that the Congress represented the Hindus and the Muslim League
represented the Muslims. Many criticized the agreement and said that the agreement did not
satisfy the majority of Muslims. According to Judith Brown, the Muslim League was not an
organization of Muslims at all levels. The pact, which was mainly concluded by educated
intellectuals and barristers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, did not please Muslims at all levels.
Besides, many orthodox and senior members of the League did not believe in the principle of
Hindu-Muslim cooperation. Muslim leaders in many provinces were not happy with the
agreement. The Muslim League of Punjab and Bengal saw great disturbances. There was a
reason for this. Bengal's Muslims number 52.6% of the total population but they have been
given 40% seats. On the other hand, in Punjab, 54.8% of the total population is Muslim, but
50% of the seats have been allotted. As a result, Muslims became a minority in Bengal and
Punjab. Bengal's influential Muslim leader, Nawab Nawab Ali Chowdhury, resigned as the
president of the Pradesh Bengal Muslim League in protest against the agreement. The Punjab
Muslim League broke up as a result of the Lucknow Pact. The Tamil-speaking Muslims of
Madras opposed the treaty. Sardar Saheb Sulaiman Qasim, vice-president of the Bombay
Province Muslim League, took a stand against Miao. Thus, despite the reaction against
Lucknow agreement, the importance of this agreement cannot be denied. After 1905 Hindu-
Muslim relations in the uneasy atmosphere that had been created through this agreement
brought relief to Bengal and the Indian subcontinent. The rapprochement of the Congress and
the Muslim League led to communal harmony between the two communities. This united
political environment paved the way for the tumultuous national movement after the First
World War.