The Election of 1937 and formation of Congress Ministries- 1 | History Optional for UPSC (Notes) PDF Download

Introduction 

• The end of the Civil Disobedience Movement around 1934 caused significant disagreement within Congress, similar to what happened after the NCM was withdrawn.
• While Gandhi stepped back from active politics for a time, the socialists and other leftist groups formed the Congress Socialist Party within Congress in May 1934.
• Nehru never officially joined this group, whose beliefs ranged from unclear radical nationalism to strong support for Marxian Scientific Socialism.
• A divide within Congress soon emerged over two main issues:
  • Council Entry
  • Office acceptance
• The conflict reached a peak but was somehow avoided at the Lucknow Congress in 1936.
• Both factions of Congress, respecting each other’s commitment to the anti-imperialist struggle and aware of the harm a split would cause, chose not to divide the party.
• At Lucknow in early 1936 and Faizpur in late 1936, Congress decided to contest the elections and postponed the decision on office acceptance until after the elections.
• At the Lucknow Congress in 1936, the majority of delegates, led by Rajendra Prasad and Vallabh Bhai Patel with Gandhi’s support, believed that contesting the elections and accepting office under the 1935 Act would boost Congress’s morale when direct action was not an option.
• An AICC meeting in August 1936 in Bombay favored contesting the elections but delayed the decision on office acceptance until after the elections.
• Although the federal part of the Government of India Act, 1935 was never implemented, provincial autonomy came into effect in 1937.
• Despite the new constitutional reforms falling short of India’s national aspirations, Congress decided to contest the elections to the provincial assemblies under the 1935 Act.
• Congress’s decision to participate in the 1937 elections and accept office afterward brought it closer to capitalists.
• Even skeptics like Mody, amid worsening economic conditions, aligned more with the nationalists.
• While business finance played a crucial role in Congress’s impressive victory in the 1937 elections, the party was not dominated by capitalists.

Election

• Provincial elections in British India were conducted in the winter of 1936-37 as per the Government of India Act 1935.
• Elections took place in eleven provinces:Madras, Central Provinces, Bihar, Orissa, United Provinces, Bombay Presidency, Assam, NWFP, Bengal, Punjab, and Sindh.
• The 1937 election was significant as it allowed a large number of Indians to vote for the first time. Approximately 30.1 million people, including 4.25 million women, were eligible to vote (about 14% of the population), and out of these,15.5 million voted, including 917,000 women.
• The Congress party's election manifesto rejected the 1935 Act and promised:
• Restoration of civil liberties
• Release of political prisoners
• Removal of disabilities based on sex and untouchability
• Agrarian reforms, including reduction in rent and revenue, scaling down of rural debts, provision of cheap credit
• Rights to form trade unions and right to strike
• The Congress campaign received a huge response,reviving political consciousness and energy among the people.

Election Result

Indian National Congress Results (1937 Elections):

• The Indian National Congress(INC) achieved a significant victory, winning 716 out of 1,161 contested seats and securing a majority in most provinces.
• Exceptions included Bengal, Assam, the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), Punjab, and Sind, where the INC was the largest party in the first three.
• The INC's prestige as a viable alternative to colonial rule was further enhanced.
• Of the 864 general constituency seats, the INC contested 739 and won 617.
• In the 125 non-general constituencies contested by the INC, including 59 reserved for Muslims, the Congress won 25 seats, with 15 in the NWFP.
• The INC won only 73 out of 151 reserved seats for the depressed classes across India.
• The success of the INC in the 1937 elections was due to its appeal to newly enfranchised voters, including parts of the industrial working class, peasantry, and some Dalits.
• All-India Muslim League Results
  • The All-India Muslim League secured 106 seats(6.7% of the total), ranking it as the second-largest party.
  • The election results were a significant setback for the League, which performed poorly even in Muslim-majority provinces.
  • Post-election,Muhammad Ali Jinnah of the League proposed coalition talks with the Congress, insisting that the Congress should not nominate any Muslims to the ministries. The Congress rejected this offer, as the League claimed to be the sole representative of Indian Muslims.
• Unionist Party (Punjab)
  • The only other party to exceed 5 percent of the total assembly seats was the Unionist Party in Punjab, which won 101 seats.

Question of office acceptance

Against Office Acceptance:

• Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Bose, the Congress Socialists, and the Communists opposed office acceptance and the 1935 Act. Nehru argued that accepting office would negate the rejection of the Act and involve responsibility without power.
• Office acceptance would make the Congress cooperate with the repressive apparatus of imperialism, becoming partners in repression and exploitation.
• Nehru believed it would strip the movement of its revolutionary character, leading to petty reforms under British imperialism.
• The leftists recommended creating deadlocks in assemblies and increasing reliance on workers and peasants for a socialist direction in the Congress.

Pro-Office Acceptance:

• Those favoring office acceptance argued it was necessary to combat the 1935 Act and believed in short-term tactics within legislatures.
• They saw the political situation as needing a constitutional phase, combining mass politics with legislative work.
• Pro-office acceptance leaders acknowledged pitfalls but believed in fighting wrong tendencies rather than abandoning offices.
• They argued ministries could promote constructive work despite limited powers, using them as centers for revolutionary activities.
• Gandhi's Position:
  • Initially opposing office acceptance, Gandhi later supported Congress ministries as the party favored this course.

AICC Decision:

• The All India Congress Committee (AICC) sanctioned office acceptance, overriding objections from Nehru and others.
• Gandhi endorsed the decision, trusting in non-violence and constructive programs outside legislatures.
• Nehru warned that running provincial governments would keep the imperialist structure functioning, a prophetic concern.

Formation of Ministries

• In 1937, Congress Ministries were established in 8 out of 11 provinces in India.
• To guide and coordinate these activities and prevent the British from provincializing the Congress, a central control board called the Parliamentary Sub-Committee was formed. This committee included Sardar Patel, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, and Rajendra Prasad.
• The Congress now had to operate as a government in the provinces while also acting as the opposition to the Central Government, where real power resided.
• As Gandhiji mentioned in Harijan on 7 August 1937, accepting these offices was about holding them lightly, viewing them as “crowns of thorns” rather than sources of glory. The aim was to see if these positions could help accelerate the movement toward their goal.

Madras Presidency:

• The Government of India Act of 1935 created a bicameral legislature in the Madras province, consisting of the Governor, a Legislative Assembly, and a Legislative Council.
• The Justice Party had been in power since 1920, with a brief interruption from 1926 to 1928. However, it started losing popularity in the early 1930s due to factional politics and the autocratic rule of the Raja of Bobbili.
• The Justice Party was perceived as collaborative with the British Government, and its economic policies during the Great Depression were unpopular. For instance, its refusal to reduce land revenue taxation in non-Zamindari areas by 12.5% was widely criticized.
• The Swaraj Party, the Justice Party’s main opposition, merged with the Indian National Congress in 1935, strengthening the Congress.
• Movements like Civil Disobedience, Land Tax reduction agitations, and Union organizations helped the Congress gain support against the Bobbili Raja government.
• In the elections,Congress won 74% of the seats, overshadowing the Justice Party, which secured only 21 seats.
• Despite being the majority party, Congress was initially hesitant to form a government due to the Governor’s special powers under the 1935 Act.
• Eventually, an interim government was formed on April 1, 1937, with Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu of the Justice Party as Chief Minister.
• After negotiations and assurances from the British Government regarding the Governor’s powers, Congress agreed to form governments in the provinces they had won.
• The 1937 elections marked the beginning of the Indian National Congress’ role in governing India, with Rajaji rising in prominence within the Congress Legislature Party in the Madras Presidency.

Sindh:

• These were the first elections in the province after its creation in 1936. The Sind Legislative Assembly had 60 members. The Sind United Party emerged the leader with 22 seats.
• In the General constituencies, the Sind Hindu Mahasabha won eleven seats, the Congress Party eight seats.
• Mohammad Ali Jinnah had tried to set up a League Parliamentary Board in Sindh in 1936, but he failed, though 72% of the population was Muslim. Though 34 seats were reserved for Muslims, the Muslim League could secure none of them.

United Provinces:

• The UP legislature consisted of a Legislative Council of 52 elected and 6 or 8 nominated members and a Legislative Assembly of 228 elected members: some from exclusive Muslim constituencies, some from “General” constituencies, and some “Special” constituencies.
• The Congress won a clear majority in the United Provinces, with 133 seats, while the Muslim League won only 27 out of the 64 seats reserved for Muslims.

Assam:

• In Assam, the Congress won 33 seats out of a total of 108 making it the single largest party, though it was not in a position to form a ministry.
• The Governor called upon Sir Muhammad Sadulla, ex-Judicial Member of Assam and Leader of the Assam Valley Muslim Party to form the ministry. The Congress was a part of the ruling coalition.

Bombay:

• GOI Act, 1935 created a bicameral legislature in the Bombay province.
• Ambedkar’s Independent Labour Party won a spectacular victory in Bombay, winning eleven of the fifteen reserved seats. The Ambedkarites also did well in the Central Provinces and Berar.
• The Congress fell just short of gaining half the seats.
• However, it was able to draw on the support of some small pro-Congress groups to form a working majority. B.G. Kher became the first Chief Minister of Bombay.

Bengal:

• The Congress emerged as the largest party in Bengal, securing 52 seats.
• Despite this, the Krishak Praja Party(KPP), led by A. K. Fazlul Huq, with 36 seats, managed to form a coalition government.
• Fazlul Huq and the KPP initially challenged the Muslim League in the 1937 elections, but quickly allied with them post-election.
• Over time, Huq's popularity declined as he shifted focus towards the interests of zamindars(landlords) and wealthy peasants, breaking several election promises made to tenants and poor peasants.
• Huq joined the Muslim League in 1937 and was honored to introduce the Lahore Resolution in 1940.

Punjab:

• The Unionist Party, led by Sikander Hyat Khan, won 67 out of 175 seats.
• The Congress secured 18 seats, and the Akali Dal won 10 seats.
• After the 1937 elections, the Unionists formed a coalition government in Punjab with Sikander Hyat Khan as premier.
• However, Sikander later forged an alliance with Jinnah through the Jinnah-Sikander Pact of 1937.
• This alliance, despite its tensions, provided the Unionists with legitimacy among the Punjabi Muslim population and helped Jinnah position the Muslim League as a central force in South Asian Muslim politics.

Other provinces:

• In the Central Provinces, Bihar, and Orissa, the Congress secured clear majorities.
• In the predominantly Muslim North-West Frontier Province, the Congress won 19 out of 50 seats and, with support from minor parties, was able to form a ministry.

Formation of Congress Ministries (1937-39)

Impact of Congress Ministries:

• The Congress Ministries significantly altered the psychological atmosphere across the country.
• They sparked high expectations among various classes.
• These ministries promoted increased civil liberties and passed numerous legislations on land, industry, and social reforms in several provinces.

Prestige and Demonstration of Power:

• The Congress gained immense prestige as a viable alternative power dedicated to the welfare of the masses, particularly the peasants.
• It showcased its ability to not only lead mass struggles but also effectively use state power for public benefit.

Limitations and Efforts:

• Despite their efforts, the Congress Ministries faced limitations in power and financial resources.
• They couldn’t change the fundamentally imperialist nature of the administration or usher in a radical era.
• However, within their constraints and a brief tenure of just over two years, they aimed to introduce reforms and improve living conditions to give people a glimpse of future Swaraj.

Example of Plain Living:

• The Congress Ministers set an example by living simply.
• They drastically reduced their salaries from Rs. 2000 to Rs. 500 per month.
• They remained accessible to the common people and quickly passed a significant amount of ameliorative legislation, striving to fulfill many promises made in the Congress election manifesto.

Work of Congress as Provincial Government
1. In the political area: Defence and extension of civil liberties:

• Emergency powers gained by provincial governments in 1932 were repealed.
• Bans on political organizations like the Hindustan Seva Dal and political publications were lifted.
• Though the ban on the Communist Party remained, they could function freely in Congress provinces.
• Restrictions on the press were removed, and securities taken from newspapers were refunded.
• Confiscated arms were returned, and arms licenses were restored.

2. Police powers were curbed:

• Police, seen as the most feared British functionary, had their powers reduced.
• Reporting of public speeches and the shadowing of political workers by CID agents were stopped.

3. Release of political prisoners and detenus:

• The Congress Government released thousands of political prisoners and cancelled internment orders.
• Revolutionaries involved in the Kakori case were released, but issues remained in U.P. and Bihar.
• Prisoners sent to kala pani were transferred back but needed Governor's consent for release.
• Congress Ministries in U.P. and Bihar resigned over prisoner releases but negotiated for their release by March.
• In contrast to Congress provinces, civil liberties were curtailed in non-Congress provinces like Bengal and Punjab.
• In Bombay, the government took action to return lands to their original owners that had been confiscated during the no-tax campaign of the Civil Disobedience Movement in 1930.
• The government had to threaten resignation to persuade the Governor to agree to these measures.
• Pensions of officials dismissed in 1930 and 1932 for sympathizing with the movement were also restored.
• However, there were some negative aspects in the Congress ministerial record.
• In Madras, under Premier C. Rajagopalachari, the government prosecuted Socialist leader Yusuf Meherally in July 1937 for an inflammatory speech, although he was soon released.
• In October 1937, the Madras Government also prosecuted S.S. Batliwala, a Congress Socialist leader, for a seditious speech, sentencing him to six months in prison.
• While these incidents were exceptions, they raised suspicions about the Congress Right wing's future attitude.
• Some right-wing Congress ministers, like K.M. Munshi, the Home Minister of Bombay, misused the CID to monitor Communists and left-wing Congress members, drawing criticism from Jawaharlal Nehru.
• The Madras Government similarly used the police to surveil radical Congress members.
• These negative instances should be viewed in the context of the significant expansion of civil liberties in Bombay and Madras.
• Additionally, the majority of Congress members, led by the left wing, actively pressured right-wing ministers to uphold civil liberties.

4. Economic area:

• The Congress Ministries aimed to provide economic relief to peasants and workers promptly.

5. Agrarian reforms:

• The Congress was committed to agrarian reform through land tenure reform, rent reduction, land revenue reduction, and debt burden reduction.
• Reasons for not fully abolishing the zamindari system:
• The 1935 Act limited the provincial Ministries' powers.
• There was a severe lack of financial resources.
• The existing administrative structure was protected by the Viceroy and Governor.
• The strategy of class adjustment prevented a complete overhaul.
• A multi-class movement required balancing conflicting class interests to unite against colonialism.
• The Congress aimed to neutralize or win over as many landlords as possible to isolate the enemy.
• The Congress Ministries were under time constraints due to the impending war and the temporary nature of their governance.
• In Congress-run states like U.P., Bihar, Bombay, Madras, and Assam, reactionary second chambers made legislation difficult.
• The Congress had to conciliate upper-class elements in the second chamber to pass legislation, leading to compromises with zamindars and moneylenders.
• The agrarian structure was complex, with insufficient information about land rights and the intertwined issues of debt, money lending, production, and livelihoods.
• Structural reform was a formidable and time-consuming task.
• Within these constraints, the agrarian policy of the Congress Ministries significantly promoted peasant interests.
• Agrarian legislation varied by province based on agrarian relations, Congress mass base, class composition, leadership, and peasant mobilization.
• Generally addressed tenancy rights, security of tenure, tenant rents, and rural indebtedness.