LUCKOW PACT 1916: AIML AND INC PACT

INTRODUCTION

The Indian National Congress-All India Muslim League agreement, popularly known as the Lucknow Pact,
can easily be considered one of the most important events in the trajectory of the nationalist movement
in India. In the midst of the fi rst world war, in 1916, both organizations presented a joint scheme of
constitutional reforms to the colonial rulers with the expectation that this scheme would be
implemented once the war ended. This marked the coming together of two major political organisations
in the country, which hitherto had displayed a marked hostility to each other.

BACKGROUND OF PACT

CIRCUMSTANCES LEADING TO THE LUCKNOW PACT 1916:

International Events– Events taking place outside India drew the league closer to the Congress. Some of these events included-

(I) The British occupation of Egypt.

(II) The Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907, which divided Persia into two spheres of influence between England and Russia.

(III) The hostility of the British government towards the Sultan of Turkey during the Tripoli and Balkan wars in 1911, 1912 and 1913.
They looked upon the Sultan as the Caliph of Islam and did not like that he should have been humbled by Italy and the Balkan Powers
through the connivance of England. The participation of Turkey in the Great War on the side of Germany convinced the Indian Muslim
that the British were not the real friend of Islam.

National Events- With the annulment of the Partition of Bengal in 1911, the Muslims felt that they had been cheated. Further, in 1915
the Ali brothers, Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali were arrested for supporting Turkey’s entry into the war against the British.
Muhammad Ali Jinnah, at the time, a staunch Congress leader and a nationalist, wanted the League to come closer to the Congress.
He was instrumental in spreading nationalist ideas.

The changed objectives of the League- With the change in the political attitude of the members of the League, there grew a desire
for unity with the Congress. At the annual session of the Muslim League held in Lucknow in 1913, the Congress ideal of self-
government was adopted. This commonality of interests brought a positive aspect to the relationship between Congress and the
League. The Indian National Congress welcomed this change.

Efforts to bring both parties Together- It was generally felt among the middle-class Muslims the need to join hands with the
Congress in their fight against the British government. Jinnah tried to bring the League and the Congress closer. With this aim, he even
organized the League’s annual session at Bombay, at the same time and at the same place as that of the Congress. Even the Congress
leaders encouraged the League’s attempt to bridge the gap. Gandhi and Sarojini Naidu attended the League’s session at Bombay.
Committees were appointed by both parties to prepare a draft for reforms that were to be demanded from the British government.

FEATURES OF LUCKNOW PACT

The main features of the Lucknow Pact 1916 were as follows-

The features of the Lucknow Pact are as follows:

 There shall be a self-government in India.

 The India council must be abolished.
 The salaries of the Secretary of State for Indian affairs should be paid by the Gritush Government and not from Induam funds.
 The esecutine must be separated by the judiciary.
 Muslims should be given 1/3 representation in the Central Government.
 There should be separate electorates for all communities until a they ask for joint electorate.
  A system of weightage kro minority political representation( giving minorities more representation than proportional to thier share of the population)
should be adopted.
 The number of members of the Central Legislative Council should be increased to 150.
 The term of Legislative Council should be 5 years.
 President should be elected by the members of the Legislative Council.
 Half of the members of the Imperial Legislative Council must be Indians.
 At the provincial level, four-fifth of the members of the Leguslative Councils should be laid down province by province.
 Except nominated, all the members should be elected directly on the basis of adult franchise.

(I) The Lucknow Pact exhorted the British Government to confer self-government on India at an early date, to expand the
Provincial Legislative Councils and the Governor-General’s Legislative Council and to provide for greater representation of
the elected members on the expanded Councils.

(II) It further demanded that the powers of making appointments to the Indian Civil Service should vest in the Government
of India and that the commissioned and non-commissioned ranks in the military and naval services should be thrown open
to Indians.

(III) Congress accepted the provision of a Separate Electorate for Muslims, given through the Indian Council Act of
1909 which was a positive gain for the Muslims, because the Congress has so far opposed it.

SIFGNIFICANCE OF PACT

The significance of the Lucknow Pact lies in the fact that it was the fi rst time that the Congress reached
an agreement with an organization which was explicitly a “communal” one while the League, founded to
counter the Congress’ claims to represent the whole of India, reached an agreement with same
organization

RECAPITULATION OF PACT (KHULASA)

IMPACTS OF LUCKNOW APCT

CONCLUSION/SUMMING UP