Fourteen Points of Jinnah

The Fourteen Points of Jinnah were proposed

by Muhammad Ali Jinnah as a constitutional
reform plan to safeguard the political rights
of Muslims in a self-governing India. A
comparison of the Nehru Report (1928) with
Jinnahs Fourteen points had a political gap
between the Muslims and the Hindus in India.
Jinnah's aim was to get more rights for
Muslims. He therefore gave his 14 points.

Background

The report was given in a meeting of the council of
the All India Muslim League on March 28, 1929. Nehru
Report was criticized by Muslim leaders Aga Khan and
Mohammad. They considered it as a death warrant
because it recommended joint electoral rolls for Hindus
and Muslims.
Muhammad Ali Jinnah left for England in May 1928
and returned after six months. In March 1929, the
Muslim league session was held at Delhi under the
presidency of Jinnah. In his address to his delegates, he
consolidated Muslim viewpoints under fourteen items
and these fourteen points became Jinnah 14 points.

14 POINTS
The form of the future constitution should be
federal, with the residuary powers vested in the
provinces.
The uniform measure of autonomy shall be
guaranteed to all provinces.
All legislatures in the country and other elected
bodies shall be constituted on the definite
principle of adequate and
effective representation of minorities in every
province without reducing the majority in any
province to a minority or even equality.

In the Central Legislature, Muslim representation
shall not be less than one third.
Representation of communal groups shall
continue to be by means of
separate electorate as at present, provided it
shall be open to any community at any time to
abandon its separate electorate in favor of a joint
electorate.
Any territorial distribution that might at any time
be necessary shall not in any way affect the
Muslim majority.

Full religious liberty, i.e. liberty of belief, worship and
observance, propaganda, association and education,
shall be guaranteed to all communities.
No bill or resolution or any part thereof shall be passed
in any legislature or any other elected body if three
fourths of the members of any community in that
particular body oppose it as being injurious to the
interests of that community or in the alternative, such
other method is devised as may be found feasible and
practicable to deal with such cases.

Sindh should be separated from the Bombay
Presidency.
Reforms should be introduced in the North West
Frontier Province and Baluchistan on the same
footing as in the other provinces.
Provision should be made in the constitution
giving Muslims an adequate share, along with the
other Indians, in all the services of the state and
in local self-governing bodies having due regard
to the requirements of efficiency.

The constitution should embody adequate
safeguards for the protection of Muslim culture
and for the protection and promotion of Muslim
education, language, religion, personal laws and
Muslim charitable institutions and for their due
share in the grants-in-aid given by the state and
by local self-governing bodies.
No cabinet, either central or provincial, should be
formed without there being a proportion of at
least one-third Muslim ministers.

No change shall be made in the constitution
by the Central Legislature except with the
concurrence of the State's contribution of
the Indian Federation.


Reactions

The fourteen points advocated by Jinnah received
uninterested applause from the Muslim
community and were discussed again when
Jinnah rose to prominence in 1930s.
A few of his close friends welcomed his stance,
but, overall, he had very little support from the
Muslim community.
Among the Hindus, Jinnah's points were highly
disregarded. Jawaharlal Nehru referred to them
as "Jinnah's ridiculous 14 points". These demands
were rejected by the Congress Party.

SIMON COMMISION
The British Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin,
announced in the House of Commons in November
1927 that a commission would be sent to India to look
into the political situation of India and suggest reforms.
This commission would inquire into the working of the
Indian constitution and consider the desirability of
establishing, extending, modifying or restricting the
degree of responsible government. The Simon
commission was to be headed by Sir John Simon and
would have six other members which included Clement
Atlee who was to preside over Indian independence as
Prime Minister in 1947.
Simon Commission had no Indian members.
When the composition of the commission was
announced, it was found that it included only
British members and no Indian. This was
greeted with strong protest from all parts of
India and all assurances that the government
would consider the Indian viewpoint in all
matters was rejected. Complete equality with
the British members of the commission was
demanded and no one was satisfied with the
status of just being petitioners.
Jinnah and many Hindu and Muslim leaders
signed a manifesto which declared that unless
Indian members were included in the
commission, it was not possible for them to
conscientiously share in its work or take any
part in it. Jinnah felt that by not allowing
Indians to participate in the commission, the
British have tried to show that Indians are not
capable of making any decisions regarding the
constitution of India.
Jinnah protested against this commission along
with the Congress and other leaders of the
subcontinent. He tried to unite the Muslims to
see how this commission would not be beneficial
for them, but at this point the Muslim League
split into two; Jinnah who opposed the Simon
Commission headed one faction known as the
Jinnah Group while Sir Mohammed Shafi who
was in favor of cooperating with the Simon
Commission headed the other known as the
Shafi Group.
Jinnah strongly criticized the commission calling it a
butchery of our souls.
Lala Lajput Rai passed a resolution in the Legislative
Assembly on the 16th of February 1928, which was
strongly supported by Jinnah. This resolution declared
that the Indians had no confidence in the Simon
Commission. The Simon Commission arrived in
Bombay on the 3rd of February and was greeted by
black flags and loud slogans saying Simon go back.
Wherever the Commission went it met out hostile
treatment. The Simon Commission left India on the
31st of March.
NEHRU REPORT
INTRODUCTION
Under the Act of 1919, new reforms were to be introduced in India by the
British Government after every 10 years. For this purpose Simon
Commission was sent to India in 1927
Most of the Indian political parties decided to boycott the Commission on
the plea that it lacked Indian representation.
Indian political parties accepted the challenge and called an All Parties
Conference at Delhi in January 1928.
SALIENT FEATURES

The Committee declared that it was useless to ask anything less than complete Swaraj and
presented the following demands:

India should be given Dominion Status with the Parliamentary form of Government.

There should be a bi-cameral legislature consisting of senate and House of Representatives.

The senate will comprise of two hundred members elected for seven years, while the House of
Representatives should consist of five hundred members elected for five years.

Governor-General will act on the advice of executive council. It was to be collectively responsible to
the parliament.

There should be Federal form of Government in India with Residuary powers to be vested in Centre.

There will be no separate electorate for minorities.

It claimed since separate electorate awakens communal sentiments therefore it
should be scrapped and joint electorate should be introduced.

System of weightage should not be adopted for any province.

There will be no reserved seats for communities in Punjab and Bengal. However,
reservation of Muslim seats could be possible in the provinces where Muslim
population should be at least ten percent.

Judiciary should be independent from the Executive

There should be 1/4th Muslim Representation at Centre

Sind should be separated from Bombay provided it proves to be financially self
sufficient.

Reforms should be introduced in NWFP


CONCLUSION

The report was not acceptable to Muslims and
both the Muslim members of the Committee
did not sign it. Syed Ali Imam, due to bad
heath could not attend the meetings of the
Committee while Shoaib Qureshi refused to
sign the repot. In the fourth session of the All
Parties Conference convened in December to
review the Nehru Report,
Jinnah representing the Muslim League presented
following four amendments in the report:
There should be no less than one-third Muslim
representation in the Central Legislature.
In event of the adult suffrage not being established, Punjab
and Bengal should have seats reserved for the Muslims on
population basis.
The form of the constitution should be Federal with
residuary powers vested in the provinces.
Sind should immediately be made a separate province and
the reforms should also be introduced in NWFP and
Baluchistan at the earliest.
Jinnahs proposals were rejected when put to vote in All
Parties Conference.