Round Table Conferences 1930–32
Introduction
The three Round Table Conferences of 1930–1932 were a series of high-level meetings held between the British Government and prominent Indian political personalities to discuss constitutional reforms in India.
Context
- British Desire for Reforms
The British government had realized that it was not possible to hold on to their British Indian Empire indefinitely and were thus seriously thinking in terms of granting them some sort of dominion status. Even a substantial portion of the intellectual elite in the UK believed that India needed to move towards dominion status.
2. Demands for Swaraj(Self-rule) in India
British colonialism had given rise to nationalist sentiments among the Indian educated elite, not only as a result but also as a reaction against the socioeconomic reforms carried out by the British in India. Besides unifying India administratively, the introduction of the railways, telegraph, unified postal systems, and most importantly the spread of western education and ideas, had created a sense of unity among the Indians. The emergence of the modern press played a notable role in mobilizing public opinion and promoting nationalism. Consequently, The Indian elite was demanding a greater degree of self-rule for India for which they had launched the Swaraj movement.
3. Khilafat Movement Hangover
The Khilafat Movement changed the Indian political scene irrevocably. Combined with the Non-cooperation Movement, it was the first all-India agitation against British rule. It saw an unprecedented degree of Hindu-Muslim cooperation and it established Gandhi and his technique of nonviolent protest (satyagraha) at the center of the Indian nationalist movement. No longer was the nationalist movement confined to the council houses and bar associations; it had moved into the streets, the bazaars, temple fairs, and mosques. The people of the sub-continent realized how to oppose the British Government.
4. Simon Commission Report
Although Simon Commission had failed to gauge the determination of Indian opinion to ultimately bring independence, they did propose a sort of dialogue between the Indian elite and the British Government to sort out the differences.
Course
1. During the first RTC held in November 1930 attended by 74 Indian delegates, a federal formula for the Government of India proposed by the princely states and other Liberal Indian leaders was discussed. Not much progress was made, due to the absence of the Indian National Congress, along with Gandhi from these parleys as it was difficult to reach a consensus.
2. A settlement between Mahatma Gandhi and Viceroy Lord Irwin brought Congress to the second session of the Round Table Conference, which opened on 7 September 1931. Gandhi attended as the sole official Congress representative accompanied by other prominent leaders. Gandhi claimed that
- the Congress alone represented political India.
- the Untouchables were Hindus and should not be treated as a “minority”
- there should be no separate electorates or special safeguards for Muslims or other minorities.
These claims were rejected by the other Indian participants. He returned to India, disappointed with the results and empty-handed.
The discussion led to the passing of the Government of India Act 1935, At the end of the conference, Ramsay MacDonald undertook to produce a Communal Award for minority representation, with the provision that any free agreement between the parties could be substituted for his award. Other important discussions were the responsibility of the executive to the legislature and a separate electorate for the Untouchables
3. The third and last session was assembled on November 17, 1932. Only forty-six delegates attended since most of the main political figures of India were not present.
Consequences
1. It was the first major interaction between the Indian political elite and the British political leadership which helped them to understand the depth of Indian desire to get freedom.
2. Its holding in London also helped the Indian leaders to put across their points of view in the British press and through them to the general public. These interactions resulted in creating significant goodwill for the cause of Indian independence
3. These parleys were a mixed bag; although they fell short of the expectations, they had generated mainly due to the significant disagreements between the Indian and the British political parties, they did result in outlining the main features of the future constitution of British India.
4. From September 1931 until March 1933, the proposed reforms took the form reflected in the Government of India Act 1935. If nothing else, it was a major success for both parties to agree on a basic framework for the political governance of India in the form of the 1935 Act.
5. It was during these conferences that the idea of a separate state for the British Indian Muslims got widespread recognition and acceptance. While Allama Iqbal presented it in his Allahabad address, a group of Muslim civil servants getting training at Cambridge University started working on giving it a concrete shape and presented their ideas through Ch Rehmat ALI
