Notes
Notes
Notes
Backdrop:
The Khilafat movement brought Hindu-Muslim communities to cooperation. The leaders made the efforts
to revive harmony for preparing constitutional proposals.
1: Delhi Muslim Proposals: March 1927
Important Muslim leaders on the initiative of the Quaid met in Delhi to discuss constitutional and political
issues. The major demands were:
1. Punjab and Bengal: statuary Muslim majorities
2. No Weightage in provinces
3. Sind to be separated from Bombay
4. Constitutional Reforms in NWFP
5. One-third seats for Muslims in Central Legislature
6 On communal issues, no law will be passed if three-fourth members of the concerned
community oppose it.
If these demands are accepted, they will give up „separate electorate.‟ Subsequently, the Muslim League
was divided in the Punjab, Shafi League and Jinnah League. Sir Muhammad Shafi opposed Jinnah on the
issues:
The main objective was to constitute proposals for the Indian Constitution. The Congress called All
Parties Conference that appointed a 10-member committee in May 1928 under the Chairmanship of
Motilal Nehru and Secretary ship of Jawaharlal Nehru.
1. No Separate electorate
2. No One-third seats for Muslims in Central Assembly
3. No reservation of seats for Muslims in Punjab and Bengal. In Hindu- majority provinces, the Muslims
may be given seats according to population
4. Sind to be made a province if it can bear its expenses. Balochistan, NWFP were accepted to be given
constitutional status on certain conditions.
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Quaid-i-Azam tried to get amendments in the Report in the All Parties Conference in Calcutta but did not
succeed. This is the very moment when Jinnah remarked, “it is parting of the ways.” He presented the 14
points as a Muslim leader.
These points reflected the aspirations of every Muslim living in India. 4: The Simon Commission:
The British government sent a commission to seek the opinion of Indians on the future shape of
constitutional arrangements. It arrived in India in 1927 and it published the report in 1930. Most political
parties boycotted it. It presented its report containing several constitutional proposals:
First Session of the Conference: In the first session, a number of prominent Muslims like M. A. Jinnah,
Sir Shafi, Maulana M. A. Jauhar, Zafarullah Khan participated. They emphasized federalism,
selfgovernment, safeguards for minorities, separate electorate, preferential representation in central
legislature, secure majorities in Punjab and Bengal.
Second Conference: Maulana M. A. Jauhar had died after the first conference. Iqbal, Jinnah and others
participated in the second conference. Gandhi represented the Congress. The key issues of the session
were „Federation‟ and „Minorities.‟
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The Communal Award, August 1932
The Congress expressed strong reaction against the right of separate electorate to the Indian minorities,
especially to low caste Hindus whom Gandhi named Harijan (sons of God).
Dissonance in Gandhi is conspicuous that he observed fast unto death on the right to the „sons of God.‟
An agreement with low caste to surrender the separate electorate right was concluded to save Gandhi‟s
life.
The main issues had been discussed in the first two conferences and now the rest of them were to be
discussed. It was poorly attended conference. Quaid did not participate despite living in London. Gandhi
did not attend as he had been detained.
The conference brought no change in party positions and widened Hindu-Muslim gulf. White Paper on
Constitutional Proposals: March 1933
The British government issued a small document in the form the White Paper. It included detail of
working basis of the Indian constitution with Dyarchy in the centre and full responsible governments in
the provinces.
Despite these efforts the communal problems could not be settled as satisfactory to the nations living in
India particularly the Muslim. Therefore the key issues remained unchanged:
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