MODERN INDIA NOTES

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29-12-2021

BHULABHAI JIVANJI DESAI- LIAQUAT ALI KHAN PACT

• An interim government would be formed (a provisional government, an enlarged
Viceroy’s Executive Council) before independence and the number of members
nominated by the League to this interim government was to equal the number of
nominees from the Congress (Parity).
• Other minorities like Sikhs and even the depressed classed would be represented in this
interim government. It would also include members who were not the members of the
Central Legislature. The Commander in Chief was also to be a member of this
government.
• This government was to work under the Government of India Act, 1935.

WAVELL PLAN – 1945

• The Viceroy's Executive Council was to be enlarged and with the exception of the Viceroy
and the Commander in Chief, all other members had to be Indians.
• The number of members nominated to this council by the Muslims and caste Hindus was
to be equal (Issues of parity and the issue of backward class representation).
• This government was to act under the Act of 1935. The Viceroy has still enjoyed a veto but
he would be using it only sparingly.
• External affairs had to be handed over to an Indian member but then the defense of India
along with tribal affairs had to be handled by the Viceroy himself.
• All political parties present at Simla had to submit a joint list of members who were to be
nominated to the Executive Council.

Jinnah insisted that all Muslim members of the council had to be nominated by the Muslim League
and that in the future any decision taken by this government that is against Muslim interests had to
be taken by a 2/3rd majority.
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13-01-2022

PRE-CONGRESS ORGANISATIONS
BANGABHASHA PRAKASIKA SABHA - 1836
• Started by the Brahmo Samaj followers, it started to discuss govt policies and to train volunteers
in preparing petitions and memorandums.

ZAMINDARI ASSOCIATION (BENGAL LANDHOLDER’S SOCIETY) - 1838

• This organization is widely considered to be the start of organized political activities in India. The
founding members included, Dwarkanath Tagore and Radhakant Deb.
• This is an organization that was exclusive to the Zamindars and the Zamindari demands.

BENGAL BRITISH INDIA SOCIETY - 1843

• Set up by William Adam, this organization stood for protecting the interests of a wide section of
the population.

BRITISH INDIA ASSOCIATION - 1851

• It was formed with the merger of the Bengal Landholder’s Society and the Bengal British India
Society.
• Its Bombay branch was established by the lights of Dadabhai Navroji and is called the Bombay
Association.
• Its Madras branch was called the Madras Native Association which was headed by Gazulu
Lakshminarasu Chetty.

EAST INDIA ASSOCIATION - 1866

• It was started to organize public opinion in England in favour of India and to reform its ways of
Governance.
• The lights of Dadabhai Navroji, Badruddin Tyabji, Pheroz Sha Mehthah and Manmohan Ghosh
were associated with this.

POONA SARVAJANIK SABHA - 1870

• Started by Mahadev Govind Ranade, it is widely considered to be the precursor to the INC.
Because, like the INC, it wanted to serve as a bridge between the people and the government.

INDIA LEAGUE - 1875

• Started by Sisir Kumar Ghosh, and through this he wanted to impart Indians with political
education and also wanted to inculcate the spirit of nationalism.
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19-01-2022

THE LUCKNOW PACT - 1916

• This was a pact between the Congress Party and the Muslim League. This pact brought the League
and the Congress on to a common platform from where in they could demand or self-government
on India. The price that the Congress had to pay to forge this alliance was the acceptance of
separate electorates which had been provided to the Muslims by the Minto–Morley Reforms / the
Government of India Act, 1909. The Congress also had to accept the weightage system which had
been extended by the government in favour of the Muslims.
• Under the Weightage System, the number of seats set aside under communal electorates were
more than the number of seats that the Muslims could have got if the seats were decided based
on their population in that State.

INDIAN LIBERAL FEDERATION

• It was a political party started by Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru and Surendranath Banerjee who had been
the moderate leaders of INC. This party decided to supported the Government of India Act of
1919, when the Congress formally rejected it.
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25-01-2022

NEHRU REPORT
MAIN RECOMMENDATIONS
1) Dominion Status – India should have the same Constitutional status in the British Empire
like other dominions with a Parliament having powers to make laws and this dominion
would be called ‘The Commonwealth of India’.
2) Fundamental Rights – The report demanded 19 fundamental rights for the future
including Universal Adult Suffrage, Freedom to Form Unions, Equal Rights for Women,
Freedom of Speech and Expression, etc.
3) Responsible Government – It recommended responsible government at the centre and
the provinces.
4) Bicameral Parliament – He suggested that an Indian Parliament should consist of,
i. A Senet, elected for seven years containing 200 members elected by the Provincial
Councils.
ii. The House of Representatives containing 500 members for 5 years through adult
franchise.
5) Hierarchy of Courts – Hierarchy of courts with the Supreme Court act its apex should be
established.
6) Federal Government – It recommended for the first time that India should be a Federation
on the basis of Linguistic Provinces and Provincial Autonomy but the residuary powers
should rest with the centre.
7) Safeguards for the Minorities –
• It recommended joint electorates in place of communal electorates.
• The system of weightage should not be adopted for any provinces.
• The reservation of seats for the Muslims in proportion to their population in Muslim
majority provinces like Bengal and Punjab was not recommended.
• It recommended a minimum of 1/3rd representation for the Muslims in the Central
Legislative Assembly.
• It recommended reservation of seats for the Muslims in those provinces where in
their population was in minority.
• Sindh was to be separated from Bombay and North-West Frontier Province and
Balochistan were to be treated on par with other provinces after India gains
dominion status.
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04-03-2022

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA ACT – 1935

• It introduced dyarchy at the Centre wherein central portfolios were divided into Reserved
and Transferred subjects.
• It cancelled the system of dyarchy in Provinces and instead introduced the system of
Provincial Autonomy/Responsible Government. Under this system, all important
Provincial Portfolios of subject matters was to be handled by the Provincial Governor in
consultation with the Council of Ministers who are members of the Provincial Legislative
Councils. In spite of all this, the Governor could still use his Veto, specially with regards
to protection of minorities, Princely States, the British commercial interest etc.
• Close to six Provincial Legislatures were provided with a Bicameral Legislature. Burma
was separated from British India.
• The act for the first time provided for the creation of an All India Federation including
British Indian Provinces and Princely States. It also stipulated that the proposed federation
would come into effect only if more than half of the Princely States in India decided to join
the federation.
• It is provided for the establishment of the Supreme Court of India which was later on
established in 1937.

THE AUGUST OFFER – 1940

• For the first time, the British offered us the dominion status along with a Constituent
Assembly constituted mainly by Indians.
• It offered an expansion of the Viceroy’s Executive Council with more Indian participation
in it. Although we rejected this offer, by 1941 the number of Indians on the Executive
Council was 8 out of 12.
• It also offered to constitute a War Advisory Council.
• For the first time, Jinnah was offered with a virtual veto wherein his backing was made
mandatory for the August Offer to be implemented.