Lahore Session, 1929

Introduction:

• On December 19, 1929, the Indian National Congress passed the historic 'Purna Swaraj' (total independence) resolution at its Lahore session.

• This resolution declared India's complete independence from British rule and was made public on January 26, 1930, which the Congress urged Indians to celebrate as 'Independence Day'.

• The declaration was a result of failed negotiations between the leaders of the freedom movement and the British over the question of dominion status for India.

Background:

• In 1886, Dadabhai Naoroji advocated for Swaraj as the sole aim of the nationalist movement during his presidential address at the National Congress in Calcutta.

• In 1907, Sri Aurobindo began writing as the editor of the newspaper Bande Mataram, stating that the new generation of nationalists would not accept anything less than Purna Swaraj, full independence, as it exists in the United Kingdom.

• The All India Home Rule League had been advocating Home Rule for India, which meant dominion status within the British Empire before 1930.

• Congress leader and famous poet Hasrat Mohani was the first activist to demand complete independence (Poorna Swaraj) from the British in 1921 from an All-India Congress Forum.

• In 1927, the British government outraged people across India by appointing a seven-man, all-European committee led by Sir John Simon, called the Simon Commission, to deliberate on constitutional and political reforms for India.

• In 1928, the Nehru Report demanded that India be granted self-government under the dominion status within the Empire.

• In 1929, Lord Irwin, the then Viceroy of India, made a vaguely announced - referred to as the Irwin Declaration - that India would be granted dominion status in the future.

• The Irwin Declaration triggered a backlash in England: politicians and the general public were not in favor of India obtaining dominion status.

• Under pressure, Lord Irwin told Indian leaders, including Jinnah, Nehru, Gandhi, and Sapru, that he could not promise dominion status anytime soon.

Lahore Congress Session 1929:

• Jawaharlal Nehru was chosen as the President due to the Congress' acceptance of complete independence as its goal and to recognize the surge of youth that had made the anti-Simon campaign a huge success.

• The following major decisions were taken at the Lahore session:
  • The Round Table Conference was to be boycotted.
  • Complete independence was declared as the aim of the Congress.
  • Congress Working Committee was authorized to launch a program of civil disobedience, including non-payment of taxes, and all members of legislatures were asked to resign their seats.
  • January 26, 1930, was fixed as the first Independence (Swarajya) Day, to be celebrated everywhere.

• At midnight on New Year's Eve, President Jawaharlal Nehru hoisted the tricolour flag of India upon the banks of the Ravi in Lahore.

Round Table Conferences: A Brief Overview

The Round Table Conferences were a series of meetings that took place in London in the early 1930s to discuss and develop a constitution for India. Here is a brief overview of the Round Table Conferences, their features, issues, and outcomes.

First Round Table Conference (1930-1931)

It took place between November 1930 and January 1931

Features:

• Presided over by James Ramsay MacDonald, the British Prime Minister.

• The Congress and some notable business figures declined to attend, but other Indian groups, including the Princely States, Muslim League, Justice Party, and Hindu Mahasabha, were present.

• Little was achieved during the conference.

Participants:

• 16 delegates from three British political parties.

• 74 Indian delegates, including 58 representatives from political parties in India and 16 delegates from princely states.

• Universities, Burma, Sindh, landlords (from Bihar, the United Provinces, and Orissa), and other provinces were also represented.

Issues:

• The structure of the federal government was discussed.

• The provincial charter was considered.

• Defense services for minorities in Sindh and the Northwest Frontier Provinces.

• Legislative accountability of the executive.

• Separate electorates for “untouchables” were supported by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.

• A national federation was suggested by Tej Bahadur Sapru.

• The princely states agreed, provided that their internal sovereignty is upheld.

Outcome:

• Considered a failure as the amendments approved were never put into practice.

• The Civil Disobedience Movement continued during the conference.

• The British government expressed hope for the INC leaders’ attendance at the Second Round Table Conference.

Second Round Table Conference: Introduction,Participants, Events, and Outcomes

Introduction

• Held in London from September to December 1931.

• British government convened the conference to find a solution to constitutional issues and political problems of India

Participants:

• British Prime Minister James Ramsay MacDonald and leaders from several British political parties.

• Princes, maharajas, and divans from India’s princely realms, including the Maharaja of Indore, the Maharaja of Rewa, the Maharaja of Baroda, the Nawab of Bhopal, and many more.

• Gandhi, the lone representative of the Indian National Congress.

• Muslim participants, including Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Muhammad Iqbail, Aga Khan III, and more.

• Representatives of Hinduism, such as B. Diwan Bahadur Raja Narendra Nath, M. R. Jayakar, and S. Moonje.

• Rattamalai Srinivasan and R. Ambedkar representing downtrodden classes.

• Sikh delegates Sardar Ujjal Singh and Sardar Sampuran Singh.

• Female representations Radhabai Subbarayan and Sarojini Naidu.

• Liberal Representatives: Justice Party, Parsis, Anglo-Indians, Sindhis, businesspeople, academics, Burmese, and Europeans.

Events:

• The conference was convened from 7 September 1931 to 1 December 1931 in London.

• The Indian National Congress, invited specifically for the Conference, participated with Gandhi as their representative.

• Ramsay MacDonald, now leading a National government, chaired the Conference, unlike the previous one which was led by a Labor government.

• The British proposed a distinct electorate as a communal reward for the representation of minorities in India, which Gandhi rejected.

• Gandhi and Ambedkar presented opposing viewpoints on the communal award of a separate electorate for the untouchables, which was eventually resolved through the Poona Pact, 1932.

Outcomes:

• The Second Round Table Conference was considered a failure due to conflicts and differences among the participants.

• The Indian National Congress claimed to represent the entire nation, but other participants and party leaders disagreed

Third Round Table Conference

The Third Round Table Conference was the final conference held to discuss the constitutional reforms of India. Here are some bullet points summarizing the conference and its outcomes:

Participants:

• The conference was attended by only 46 delegates as most of the political leaders were unable to attend.

• The Indian National Congress and the British Labour Party declined to participate.

• Aga Khan III represented the British Indians.

• Other speakers included representatives from the princely states, downtrodden classes, and women.

Important Events:

• Due to the lack of attendees, no significant events occurred at the conference.

• The proposals made at the conference were later discussed in the British Parliament.

Outcomes:

• The absence of political leaders and Maharajas made the conference ineffective, and no significant discussions took place.

• The recommendations made were published in a white paper in 1933 and discussed in the British Parliament.

• Based on these discussions, the Government of India Act of 1935 was passed.

• The Civil Disobedience Movement and the Round Table Conferences were held concurrently.

• The outcome of the conference was inconclusive due to the lack of cooperation among Indian participants.

• The Community Award made B.R. Ambedkar, who attended all three conferences, the happiest person there.

• Gandhi's call for Joint Electorates did not receive much support from the delegates, and the princes of India were not excited about a federation.