Communal Award and Poona Pact | History Optional for UPSC (Notes) PDF Download

Communal Award and Gandhi's Response (16 August 1932)

• On 16 August 1932, Prime Minister Ramsay Macdonald announced the Communal Award, marking a significant shift in India's constitutional history.
• The award allocated representation among communities and extended the provision of separate electorates to the untouchables, reflecting the British policy of divide and rule.
• Previously, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians had been recognized as minorities. The Communal Award declared the depressed classes as minorities entitled to separate electorates.
• The award faced strong criticism from figures like Mahatma Gandhi and the Akali Dal. The Akali Dal criticized the Award for providing only 19% reservation for Sikhs in Punjab, compared to 51% for Muslims and 30% for Hindus.

Congress Stand:

• Although the Congress opposed separate electorates, it did not support changing the Communal Award without the consent of the minorities.
• While strongly disagreeing with the Award, the Congress chose neither to accept nor reject it.
• Nationalists vehemently opposed the idea of treating the depressed classes as separate political entities, striving to keep them connected with the rest of the Hindus.

Gandhi's Response to the Communal Award

• Gandhi viewed the Communal Award as a threat to Indian unity and nationalism.
• He saw it as an attempt to divide Hindu society by treating the untouchables as separate.
• Despite this, he believed untouchables were an integral part of Hinduism.
• Gandhi argued that separate electorates would hinder the integration of the depressed classes.
• He contended that such measures would undermine efforts to abolish untouchability.
• Gandhi emphasized the need to focus on eradicating untouchability instead of protecting the interests of the depressed classes.
• He advocated for the depressed classes to be elected through a joint or wider electorate.
• Gandhi supported the idea of reserved seats but opposed separate electorates.
• To assert his demands, Gandhi embarked on an indefinite fast at Yerwada Central Jail on September 20, 1932.
• Some leaders of the depressed classes, like M.C. Rajah, supported joint electorates.
• Dr. B.R. Ambedkar viewed separate electorates as crucial for political representation.
• Gandhi was against separate electorates but was open to reserved seats.
• A compromise was eventually reached, leading to the Poona Pact of September 1932.
• The Poona Pact was accepted by the government and resulted from negotiations among leaders like B.R. Ambedkar, M.C. Rajah, and Madan Mohan Malaviya.

Poona Pact

The Poona Pact: Key Points

• The Poona Pact was an agreement between Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi, signed on September 24, 1932, at Yerwada Central Jail in Pune.
• The Pact was accepted by the Government as a modification to the Communal Award.

Provisions of the Poona Pact:

• The Pact replaced separate electorates for the depressed classes with increased reserved seats: from 71 to 147 in provincial legislatures and 18 percent of the total in the central legislature.
• Election to reserved seats would be by joint electorates, with a primary election process for candidates from the Depressed Classes.
• The primary election system would last for ten years, unless ended earlier by mutual agreement.
• Reserved seats for the Depressed Classes would remain until changed by mutual agreement between the communities.
• The Franchise for the Depressed Classes would follow the Lothian Committee Report.
• No disabilities would be imposed on members of the Depressed Classes regarding elections to local bodies or public service appointments, with efforts made for fair representation.
• A portion of educational grants in each province would be set aside to provide educational facilities for the Depressed Classes.