“15“ “Nehru Report 1928”

Background:

• Simon Commission came to India in Feb-March, 1928 from the Britain. All political
parties rejected the Simon Commission and its report.
• Lord Birkenhead, who was British Secretary of State Of India, was very much offended
on the treatment extended to the Simon Commission.
• When the Indian political parties rejected the recommendations of the Simon
Commission, he declared in the parliament,” The Indian are so divided, opposed and fed
up of each other that they are unable to provide an unanimously accepted
constitution.”
• Nehru considered this statement as an insult offer the political leaders of India and
decided to prepare a report comprising of a plan for India.

Nehru Report:

All-Parties Conference was held on 19th May, 1928. During this conference a seven-
member committee under the chairmanship of Motilal Nehru was formed to formulate
an agreed constitution. The report presented by the committee is known as “Nehru
Report.” Nehru Report was presented on 10th August, 1928 and admonished
government that if the report was not implemented immediately, Non-cooperation
movement would be launched in the whole Sub-continent. The report contained the
following recommendations:

i) Full-responsible government on the model of the constitution of self-governing

dominions to be introduced in the Sub-continent.
ii) Separate electorate should be replaced by the joint electorate with the reservation of
seats for minorities in proportion to their population.
iii) The foreign affairs defence and army should be placed under the control of the
parliament and viceroy.
iv) Sindh should be separated from Bombay.
v) Full provincial status should be given to NWFP and Baluchistan.
vi) Unitary form of government to be introduced in the centre.
vii) Hindi should be made official language.

Reaction To The Nehru Report:

The Nehru Report shocked the Muslims because it envisaged the establishment of
Hindu Raj in the guise of a responsible government. It made the Hindu-Muslim rift final
and irrevocable. The anti-Muslim Hindu designs brought the unity among the Jinnah
 League and the Shafi League. When the report was discussed in the Indian Legislature
Assembly, Jinnah and other Muslim leaders rejected it in strong words. According to K.K
Aziz:

“There is a little doubt that the Nehru Report conferred. The real power upon the Hindu
majority and envisaged a Hindu Raj. At least that was the impression it conveyed to the
Muslim mind. The Lucknow Pact had been forgotten. The good old days of the Khilafat
Movement were fled never to return. The unity of the Congress-League scheme was buried
deep under the debris of communal riots.”

Quaid’s Amendments:

An All-Party National Conference was held in Calcutta in December, 1928 to consider the Nehru
Report. Quaid-e-Azam proposed amendments to the Nehru Report.
i) One-Third representation for the Muslims in the central legislature.
ii) Muslim presentation in the Bengal and Punjab provinces on the basis of population.
iii) Residuary powers be given to the provinces instead of the central government.
All the amendments, proposed by Quaid-e-Azam when put to vote were rejected by the Hindu
majority.

Conclusion:

Quaid-e-Azam rejected the Nehru Report altogether and said, “The Committee has adopted a
narrow minded policy to ruin the political future of the Muslims. I regret to declare that the
report is extremely ambiguous and does not deserve to be implemented.”
Owing to the partiality of the Nehru Report, Quaid-e-Azam presented his celebrated fourteen
points.