Indian Council Act(s), the

Lahore Resolution (1940)

and United Bengal
Proposal (1947)
• Act of 1909: Minto Morley Reforms
• Act of 1919: Montagu –Chelmsford
Reforms, 1919
• Act of 1935: The All India Federation
• The Lahore Resolution 1940
• United Bengal Proposal 1947
Minto Morley Reforms1909
• Tension between Congress and ML after
the Partition of Bengal (1905)
• Muslims demanded “Separate
Electorate” prior to creation of Muslim
League
• Muslim League intensified efforts and
convinced British who brought reforms
in the shape of Indian Council Act 1909
• The Indian Council Act 1909, commonly
known as the Morley-Minto Reforms (or
Minto-Morley Reforms), was an Act of the
Parliament of the United Kingdom that
brought about a limited increase in the
involvement of Indians in the governance of
British India.
• Approved by British Parliament and
enforced on 23rd March 1909
• Salient Features

• Muslims’ demand of Separate Electorate

accepted
• Modus operandi for election
• Members of Councils could raise questions
relating to administration and policy and
discuss budget item wise
 ICA - 1909
INDIANS IN
EXECUTIVE
MORLEY-MINTO REFORMS
COUNCIL OF
VICEROY

FIRST COUNCIL
MEMBER SEPERATE
SATYENDRA ELECTROTE
PRASAD FOR MUSLIMS
SINHA
• Importance of Reform for East Bengal

• Muslims’ main demand of separate

electorate was accepted in the provinces
• Muslims were given double vote (they could
vote separately for Muslims and also for
general constituency)
• Legal and constitutional status of Muslims in
India as a separate entity was accepted
• The reforms play significant role in the
constitutional history/development in
India
• But for East Bengal and Muslims they
were of paramount importance and
shaped their political fate and
destination.
 MONTAGUE CHELMSFORD REFORMS 1919

CREATED NEW
OFFICE FOR
ESTABLISHED INTRODUCED
HIGH
PUBLIC SERVICE BICAMERALISI
COMMISSIONE
COMMISSION M
R OF INDIA IN
LONDON
Features
• 1919
• Created a Diarchy
• Created 11 provinces in India
• More government control provincially but not
federally
• Provincial = Indian controlled - Health, Education
and agriculture
• Federal = British = Finance, Law and Order
• Promise to consider more concessions in 10 years
• ‘Diarchy’ – Eleven provinces with two
levels of government

• Indians control health, education and

agriculture
• British control finance, law and order
 Government of India Act of 1935

POWER DIVIDED
BETWEEN CENTRE AND
ESTABLISH ALL INDIA
UNITS AS FEDERAL,
FEDERATION
PROVINCIAL AND
CONCURRENT LIST

RESIDUE POWER WITH

CENTRE
• Gave full control of 11 provinces to Indians
• Britain and India to share Federal powers
• Only Defense and Foreign affairs was to remain in
British hands.
• Yet, once again Congress Party was unsatisfied.
• The Princes who continued to rule their own states
within India also refused to co-operate.
Lahore Resolution 1940
• The concept of a sovereign independent
Bengal had its origins in the past.
• The adoption of the LAHORE RESOLUTION
 in March 1940 was a significant step
towards highlighting the demand for
separate homelands for the Muslims of
the two Muslim majority zones of India.
• But the Lahore Resolution remained
undefined until April 1946. 
• The resolution signified a change
of direction of the Muslim
Movement. It identified a new
destination, it was basically a
change of strategy.
• Previously, the talks were for
Federalism, provincial autonomy,
constitutional safeguards and
guarantees. 15
• In Lahore Resolution Muslim League
officially talked about separatism, a
separate state or the partition of India.
• This was something which they thought
was needed for achieving the primary
goal and that was the protection and
promotion of Muslim identity and Muslim
interests in the Indo-Pak Sub Continent.
United Bengal Proposal 1947

• In a press conference held in Delhi on April

27, 1947, Suhrawardy presented his plan for
‘a united and independent Bengal’ and Abul
Hashim issued a similar statement in Calcutta on
April 29. A few days later, Sarat Chandra Bose
put forward his proposals for a "Sovereign
Socialist Republic of Bengal."
• "Gandhiji initially encouraged the plan
but later betrayed Sarat Bose and went
back on his earlier promise. Nehru,
Patel and other Congress leaders
vehemently opposed the plan from the
very beginning while MA Jinnah said he
would go along with the plan if the
British and the Congress accepted it,"
says Madhuri Bose.
Thank You