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Journal of Applied Science

Mysore Representative Assembly (1881-1950)

Dr. Sreedhara . H
HOD in History
SBRR Mahajana First Grade
College Jayalakshmipuram,
Mysore, Karnataka State, India.
Mysore Representative Assembly (1881-1950)
ABSTRACT

An attempt is made in this paper to trace the Mysore Representative Assembly 1881-

1950. In 1853 Dewan C Rangacharlu became Dewan of princely Mysore. He was an able

administrator during his administration he made the great achievements. Among the important

progressive reforms of those days, the establishment of “ People Representative Assembly” was

significant. It helped the people in the administration. It was started on the advise of J.D.Gardon.

In 1881 immediately after Dasara Celebration, the Assembly of this was convened at Mysore. In

the first session 144 members were presented. From that day on words for the first time in India,

the seeds of Democracy were sown in Mysore. The credit of this should go to the king

Chamaraja Wodeyar and Dewan Rangacharlu besides Resident Gardon.

Key Words:

Rangacharlu, Representative Assembly, Chamaraja Wodeyar, Princely Mysore, Legislative

Body, Executive Council.

1. INTRODUCTION

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More than one hundred years ago, on 7th October, 1881, Mysore Representative

Assembly “a sort of Panchayat of Panchayats” was brought into session by the great dewan C.V.

Rangacharlu with the encouragement of the then Maharaja Chamaraja Wodeyar. It was unique in

the sense that such an attempt was made in a princely state for the first time and it was a

pioneering body as no such representative body existed anywhere in India. It was an experiment

without precedent in those days. It played a significant role in rousing political consciousness

among the people and acted as a link between the ruler and the ruled.

The Representative Assembly in later days became a forum to the Mysore Congress

leaders to project their views and agitate for responsible government. It received statutory

recognition in 1924 and remained an important representative body till 1950. It helped many

Congressmen to emerge as leaders with experience in parliamentary affairs and they played a

significant role in the history of modern Mysore.

Most of the Chief Ministers, Ministers and other important leaders of Karnataka like K.

Chengalaraya Reddy, K. Hanumanthaiah, Kadidal Manjappa, S. Nijalingappa, D. Devaraje Urs,

R. Chennigaramaiah, K.T. Bhashyam, M.V. Rao, T. Chennaiah, V. Venkatappa, T.

Siddalingaiah, Mohammod Imam, Mohammad Sheriff, H. Siddaiah, H.M. Chennabasappa, M.V.

Krishnappa, H.C. Dasappa, Malik Mariyappa and host of others made their debut in the

Representative Assembly and gained parliamentary experience which helped them to play a vital

role in the administration of the state later.

Dewan Rangacharlu advised the Maharaja for the formation of a Representative

Assembly “so that the views and objectives of his Government should be better known and

appreciated by the people for whose benefit the Government existed.” For that purpose, the

Representative Assembly was authoritatively brought into existence not by a statute, but by

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means of an executive order promulgated on August 25, 1881. It was to meet annually during

Dasara, when the dewan placed the result of the previous year’s administration and the

programme for the next year which would convince the people “that the interests of Government

are identical with those of the people.” It was a forum of representatives with no powers, but

only to listen to what the government had to say. It did not violate the articles of the Instrument

of Transfer and enabled important people to sit with administrators and watch the working of the

administration.1

The first session of the Assembly which met on October 7, 1881 was attended by 144

members which included 2 cultivating land owners from each taluk and 4 leading merchants

from each district. The official title of the Assembly was “the Assembly of representative

formers and Merchants from all the taluks of the Mysore State.” The dewan at the first meeting

explained “the wish of the Maharaja to bring the administration into greater harmony with the

wishes of the people and invited the members to make any observations and suggestions in the

public interest.2 The Assembly began its career as a nominated body, and it composed of persons

nominated by the government on the recommendations of Deputy Commissioners. This method

of selection by Deputy Commissioners was continued till 1891 when the principle of election

was introduced. Thus, what was merely a consultative nominated body in the initial stage

became truly Representative Assembly was summoned regularly and it discussed public affairs

freely. It was to bring to the notice of government, the wants and grievances of the people, for

watching and criticizing the work of the administration. The main object of the Assembly was to

afford to the people “an opportunity to represent their wants and grievances and not to give them

control over the administration.” Opening its session in 1903, the Maharaja hoped “that it would

prove a valuable adjunct to the administration and help to promote the contentment and well

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being of the people.”3 Unlike the tendency of the present legislators who are always anxious to

increase their salary and allowances, the members of the Representative Assembly unanimously

decided to surrender their daily batta granted to them for attending the Assembly session. 4

The Representative Assembly did not make law, “but had for it characteristic function the

representation of the wants and grievances of the masses, with powers of initiative and reference.

Mysore was the pioneer among the princely states in evolving such an organization, “a sort of

panchayat of panchayats.” The Assembly was a regional product which served informally and

rudimentally the purposes of a referendum and an initiative.5

The Representative Assembly had become manifest and as dewan Sheshadri Iyer said

“that it was in the power of the representatives to contribute……. To the good government and

prosperity of the country by carefully watching the working of the administration in all its

branches, by unhesitatingly pointing out all shortcomings that might strike them and by affording

practical suggestions for improving the condition of all classes of His Highness’s subjects.”6

The members were not intended to be more passive auditors of the dewan’s speech and

he advised the members “to familiarize themselves with the wants of the people, and to educate

themselves in the matter of administration and expressed the hope that, by subordinating private

to public interest, they would assist the government in the difficult work of administration by

bringing forward all real grievances of the people to the notice of the government and helping to

remove them.”7

Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodiyar IV in opening the Assembly for the first time in person in

1903 referred to “the consolidation of a sense of common interest between the Government and

the people” as “one of the conspicuous results of this Assembly.” The Maharaja appreciated the

work of the Assembly by enlarging its sphere. In October, 1916, the Maharaja decided to hold a

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second session of the Assembly every year. While approving the second session, the Maharaja

held that the Assembly had “more than fulfilled the expectations which were formed at the time

of its institution.” The Birth day session was devoted to the consideration of the Budget estimates

of the state. The procedure of investigation the questions by means of committees was also

adopted.8

1.1 Statutory Recognition to the Assembly

The Assembly was placed on a statutory basis by the constitutional changes introduced in

1923 defining its constitution, powers and functions. It was given a definite place in the Mysore

Constitution, and “Its position as a popular body placing before the Government the wants and

wishes of the people and voicing its public opinion in respect of legislation, taxation, finance and

administrative measures generally has been recognized by statute.” It was to be consulted on all

proposals for the levy of new taxes and on the general principles of all measures of legislation

and it was “to have the right of passing resolutions on matters relating to public administration

and on the general principles and policy underlying the annual State Budget.” The strength was

fixed at 250 members and out of that not less than 150 members were to be representatives of

rural areas.9 The dewan was the ex-officio President of the Assembly presiding at all its

meetings.

At the reconstituted Mysore legislature, on March 12, 1924 when the two houses had met

in their new and reformed grab, the Maharaja called upon the members “to use their new powers

to strengthen all the beneficial activities in the country.” He told them to keep “in close touch

with the Government and the people and to interpret the one to the other, and hoped that the long

silence of the depressed and the humble would be broken and full responsibility for their well

being shouldered by the educated and the well to do classes.”10 The Maharaja observed that “it

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has been deemed necessary to maintain the character of the Representative Assembly as

essentially a body for consultation and reference as well as representation, directly voicing the

needs of the people, and with a constitution sufficiently flexible to expand with the expanding

political consciousness of the people.”11 The Assembly emerged out of its old form into a

stronger, well defined constitutional body, which is in harmony with the sentiments and

traditions of the country and the genius of our people. It took a definite and important place in

the body politic of the state not only because of its statutory recognition but also because of its

increased functions, powers and responsibilities.12 The Assembly exercised influence on the

administration and “by bringing representatives in direct communication with Government,

helped to spread correct ideas amongst the people and roused them to a sense of their true

interests and importance.”13

1.2 Important issues in the Assembly

There was no opposition to the government in the Assembly till 1920 and the situation

changed after 1920 when the backward class people raised the question of equitable distribution

of high offices among all the castes. That issue dominated the proceedings of the Assembly

during the twenties of the present century. As an impact of political reforms in British India, the

agitation for responsible government and the emergence of Congress in Mysore were other

important developments which figured prominently in the Assembly during the next two

decades.14

1.3 Walkouts in Assembly

In June 1928, for the first time in its history, D.S. Mallappa staged a walkout as he was

not satisfied with the answers given by the dewan president Mirza. The Press hailed it as a

historic incident, as it clearly vindicated the right of the people’s representatives to get proper

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answer from the authorities.15 In October 1937, the Congress emerged stronger with the merger

of Samyukta Prajapaksha. Protesting against the midnight arrest of K.T. Bhashyam, Congress

members of the Assembly led by H.K. Veeranna Gowda walked out of the Assembly. While

walking out of the Assembly, Rangaramaiah shouted the slogans, Gandhiji ki Jai, Congress ki Jai

and Bharathmatha ki Jai. The dewan who was unprepared for such a development was stunned at

the shouting of slogans and the walk-out by the Congress members.16

1.4 Reference to Gandhi and the British unhappiness

At the opening of the Dasara session of the Representative Assembly in September 1933,

dewan Mirza made a reference to Gandhiji as an “ardent patriot and the true friend of Britain.”

The Government of India took objection to Mirza’s interference in British Indian politics. The

Viceroy expressed “considerable surprise at some of the passages of the dewan’s address to the

Assembly,” with reference to Gandhiji.17

1.5 Nehru’s visit to the Assembly

During his visit to Mysore in June 1931, Jawaharlal Nehru with his wife and daughter

(present Prime Minister) attended the Mysore Representative Assembly session, when D.S.

Mallappa and Mohammed Imam welcomed Nehru as a great son of India.

The Assembly after 1924 was consulted on all important legislative measures though the

opinion was not binding and the scope of the Assembly was limited “to expressions of opinion

on the general principles of bills, and on amendments to such principles.” It was also consulted

on new taxes.18 Even though the Assembly got the privilege of passing resolutions on the budget,

Gundappa Gowda criptically commented, that it could not get “even one figure in the budget

altered as a result of that power” and the resolution had no effect on the government and their

representations had been a cry in the wilderness. He wanted nonofficial presidents to the

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legislative bodies.19 In fact, it alone gave a true expression to the people’s “instinctive

experience, as well as an unsophisticated verdict on laws and measures as judged in the light of

social values and social postulates.”20

Members of the Assembly pleaded with the authorities “that a political awakening of an

unprecedented nature had come all over India and naturally also over Mysore.” They appealed

for a proper and sympathetic understanding of the general awakening that had come over the

state as also of the legitimate aspirations of the people in respect of securing a share in the

administration.21

When the constitutional reforms were about to be published, the members of the

Assembly pleaded with the government to place the reform proposals to the legislative bodies to

ascertain their views.22 But the government for obvious reasons did not place the proposals to the

legislative bodies. instead, the Maharaja in a proclamation announced the reforms in 1939, which

provided for the grant of enlarged powers with a wide electorate. An important reform designed

to influence the executive was the inclusion of not less than two non-official members from

among the elected representatives in the Executive Council. 23 The Assembly was abolished in

December 1949, just before the new Indian Constitution was inaugurated in January 1950.

Thus, the Mysore Representative assembly started more than hundred years ago (October

7, 1881), played a significant role in rousing political consciousness among the people of the

state. It served as a link between the ruler and the ruled. The Congress leaders used it as a forum

to project their views and put forward their demands. The Assembly gave a pride of place to the

state and made Mysore progressive among the princely states. It was through this body, that the

movement for responsible government was carried on successfully by the Mysore Congress. The

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memories of discussions and debates that took place in the Assembly sessions are cherished even

now by a large number of people.

References

1. Proceedings of the Assembly of the Representative Ryots and Merchants from all Taluks

of the Province of Mysore, October 1881 (Bangalore, 1881). Appendix A. This source

will be hereafter cited as PMTA.

2. Address of the Dewans of Mysore to the Dasara Representative Assembly for the years

1881-1899 (Bangalore 1914) p. 1.

3. G.R. Josyer, History of Mysore and the Yadava Dynasty (Mysore 1950) p. 245.

4. PMRA (October 1888) p. 19.

5. Constitutional Developments in Mysore. Report of the Committee appointed to work out

the details of the scheme (Bangalore, 1923) p. 11.

6. M. Shama Rao, Modern Mysore from the Coronation of Chamaraja Wodeyar X in 1868

to the present time (Bangalore, 1936) p. 155.

7. Constitutional Reforms 1939 (Bangalore, 1939) p. 11.

8. PMRA, 1916 (Bangalore, 1916)

9. Proclamation of His Highness the Maharaja issued on 27 October 1923, Enclosed to

Appendix pp. 131-33 included in PMRA October 1923 (Bangalore, 1924).

10. Mysore Administrative Report 1923-24 (Bangalore, 1924)

11. Ibid.

12. PMRA June 1924 (Bangalore 1924) p. 1.

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13. Proceedings of the Government of His Highness the Maharaja of Mysore, 27 October

1923.

14. Bjorn Hettne, The Political Economy of Indirect Rule, Mysore, 1881-1947 (New Delhi,

1978) p. 98.

15. PMRA June 1928 (Mysore 1928) pp. 54-5.

16. Ibid, 1933.

17. 16 October 1933, IOR/R/1/29/1150 Residency Records available at India Office Library,

London.

18. Constitutional Developments in Mysore, Report of the Committee appointed to work out

the details of the scheme. (Bangalore, 1923) p. 30.

19. PMRA, June 1934, p. 119.

20. Constitutional Developments n. 18, p.19

21. PMRA Budget Session, June 1934, pp. 83 and 124.

22. Mysore Administrative Report, 1939-40 (Bangalore, 1940) p.5.

23. Ibid.

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