Chapter 6 - The Muslim League

Chapter 7 –Lucknow Pact

 Revised Syllabus
• Factors leading to the formation of the Muslim
League and its objectives.
• Significance of Lucknow Pact
 Factors leading to the Formation of
MiuslimLeague
1. Loss of Sovereignty by Mughal Rulers
The British established their supremacy in India
by dethroning the Mughal rulers who were the
followers of Islam. Therefore, the Muslim
became bitter enemies of the British. Muslims
took part in Wahabi movement and also the
great uprising of 1857 with the aim of
dethroning British Government.
2. British Policy of Divide and Rule:
To check the growth of a united nation and to encourage communal feelings,
British decided to follow the policy of ‘Divide and Rule’.
i. In 1871, Lord Mayo’s government adopted a resolution which made
Urdu the medium of instruction for Muslims and increased government
aid to educational institutions run by the Muslims.
ii. They tried to create hatred among the Hindu8s and Muslims by
portraying Muslim rulers as plunderers, and Hindu rulers as cruel kings
to their Muslim subjects.
iii. They tried to justify the Partition of Bengal by convincing the Muslims
that Bengal was partitioned to create a new Muslim majority province
where Hindus would not be able to subvert their intrersts.
iv. They tried to use caste structure to turn the non-brahminsand the lower
castes against high castes.
3.Relative backwardness of the Muslimcommunity
in Education,Trade and Industry
• The upper class Muslims comprising zamindars and aristocrats, during
the first 70 years of the 19th century were Anti-British. They were
conservative and hostile to modern education. Because of this, the
number of Muslims educated in western system of education remained
small.
• The British government in India had consciously discriminated against
the Muslims after 1858, holding them responsible for the uprising of
1857.
• The Muslim community was not much involved in the growth of any
organised industry. Here too they lagged behind.
• Some members of Muslim community did not keep up with the modern
trends in social and cultural spheres because they were proud of their
own literature and culture and did not adopt western system of
education.
 4. Role of Sir Sayyid Ahmed Khan
• Sayyid Ahmad Khan was a great educationist and a social reformer.
a. He regarded Hindus and Muslims to be one Quam (nation)
b. He founded Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College at Aligarh which
had both Hindu and Muslim patrons.
But he under the influence of Mr.Beck, the British principal of
Mohammedan Anglo-oriental college, in 1880s, gave up his earlier views
and declared that the political views of Hindus and Muslims were different.
c. He founded the United Indian Patriotic Association in 1888 with a view
to oppose congress
d. He also felt that if British leave India, the Hindus would dominate
Muslims as they are majority in number. So he requested that if
educated Indians would support British rule, it will be a safeguard for
Muslims in India.
 5. Erroneous Interpretation of History
i. Some British and communal historians divided Indian history
into the Hindu and the Muslim Periods. The rule of Turks,
Afghans and Mughals was called the Muslim rule, where the
rulers were said to be the followers of Islam and their subjects,
the follower of other religion. In the so-called Hindu period,
Muslims rulers were dubbed as foreign invaders who had settled
in India. They portrayed Rana Pratap and Shivaji as national
heroes and Akbar and Aurangazeb as foreigners and infused
communal feelings.
ii. The communal bias was propagated through poetry, drama,
novels, short stories, newspapers ,etc.
iii. They also ignored the notion of a composite culture in two
communuities.
 6. Rise of Assertive Nationalism
a. The propogation of shivaji and ganapati
festivals by Tilak
b. Aurobindo Ghosh’s concept of India as
mother and nationalism as religion
c. The initiation of Anti-Partition agitation and
dips in the Ganga did not appeal to some of
the Muslims.
7. Economic backwardness of the country

• Due to British colonial policies, India lacked modern

industrial development and there was acute
unemployment among the educated youth.
• This led the people to ask reservation in jobs on the
basis of caste,creed or religion.
• British used this opportunity to push further their
policy to push further their policy of divide and
rule.However, the unemployed people failed to
realise that the British themselves were responsible
for the economic backwardness.
 8. Hindi-Urdu Controversy
• Urdu was the court language of United
Provinces ( present Uttar Pradesh) and some
of the society protested against this practice.
• As a result , On April 8,1900 the government
instructed that all petitions to be submitted in
Hindi and the court summons and official
announcements to be issued in Hindi as well
as in Urdu. The Muslims resented this.
 9. Partition of Bengal
• The purpose of partition was to create a
wedge between Hindus and muslims and to
stop the rising tide of nationalism.
• British try to win over the favour of Muslims
by giving them a muslim dominated province.
 Formation of Muslim League
• Nawab Salimullah took the initiative. The proposal
to form a central organisation for Muslims was
accepted and a political aassociation “All India
Muslim League” was set up on December 30,1906
under the Presidentship of Nawab Salimullah.
• Agha Khan was chosen as the permanent President
of the Muslim League.
• Its headquarters were to be at Aligarh but its
central office was shifted to Lucknow.
 Aims and objectives of Muslim League
Short keyword -PPPP

1. To promote among Muslims of India, support for British

Government
2. To remove any misconception regarding the intention of
government in relation to Indian Muslims
3. To protect and advance the political rights and interests
of Muslims and to represent their needs and aspirations
to the government in mild and moderate language
4. To prevent the rise of hostility between the Muslims of
India and other communities.
 Significance of Lucknow Pact
• It forged unity between the Hindus and Muslims
• It forged unity between two factions of the
congress- Early and Assertive Nationalists.
• The unity pressurised the British to introduce
reforms
• Necessity to pacify Indians-The British felt it
necessary to pacify Indians by the declaration of
August 20, 1917 whish promised development
of self-governing institutions in India.