Government of India Act, 1935: Muslim Response

Government of India Act, 1935

• The Act was not fully implemented, only the provincial part was introduced in India.
• Both the Muslim League and the Congress criticized the Act, but agreed to participate in the provincial elections.

The 1937 Elections

• Elections were held with a restricted franchise and separate electorate.
• The Congress presented itself as an all-India force, representing all religions and factions of society.
• The Muslim League contested for Muslim seats, but faced tough competition from other Muslim organizations.
• The elections were completed in February 1937, with the Congress winning majorities in five provinces: Madras, U.P., C.P., Bihar, and Orissa.
• The Congress emerged as the largest party in Bombay, winning 704 out of 1585 general seats.
• The Muslim League performed poorly, securing only about 21% of Muslim seats, without winning a majority in any province.

Formation of Provincial Governments

• In July 1937, the Congress formed governments in six provinces.
• In NWFP, the Khudai Khidmatgar and Congress formed a coalition government.
• In Muslim-majority provinces, the Muslim League could not form governments.
• The Muslim League desired to be in government in U.P., but the Congress demanded certain conditions, including:
  • Dissolving the AIML Parliamentary Board
  • AIML members not functioning as a separate group
  • AIML members expressing allegiance to the Congress

Policies of the Congress Governments (July 1937-Nov. 1939)

• All Congress governments in the provinces launched an anti-Muslim drive to exclude the Muslim League and other Muslim organizations from the government-making process.
• The Congress started the 'Muslim Mass Contact' movement to discredit the Muslim League.
• The Congress introduced cultural and educational policies that promoted Hindu culture and symbols in the name of Indian culture.
• The Banda-Mataram anthem was introduced in institutions and offices.
• The Hindi language was given topmost importance in government institutions.