Communal Award

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  • Based on the findings of the Indian Franchise Committee (Lothian Committee).
  • Established separate electorates and reserved seats for minorities, seventy-eight reserved seats.
  • Separate electorates for Muslims, Europeans, Sikhs, Indian Christians, Anglo-Indians, depressed classes, and even to the Marathas for some seats in Bombay.
  • Noted here that Dr B.R. Ambedkar, testimony to the Simon Commission has stressed that the depressed classes should be treated as a distinct, independent minority separate from the caste Hindus.
  • Simon Commission rejected the proposal of separate electorate for the depressed classes; however, it retained the concept of reserving seats.
  • Second Round Table Conference, Ambedkar again raised the issue of separate electorate for the depressed classes.
  • Ambedkar had attempted to compromise with Gandhi on reserved seats, but Gandhi, who had declared himself the sole representative of India’s oppressed masses, rejected Ambedkar’s proposal, and denounced the other delegates as unrepresentative.
  • Muslims voted against separate electorates for the depressed classes.
  • Outcome of this mediation was the Communal Award
Main Provisions of the Communal Award
  • Muslims, Europeans, Sikhs, Indian Christians, Anglo-Indians, depressed classes, women, and even the Marathas were to get separate electorates, depressed classes for period of 20 years.
  • Provincial legislatures - distributed on communal basis
  • Existing seats of the provincial legislatures were to be doubled
  • Muslims minority granted weightage
  • Depressed classes to be declared/accorded the status of minority.
  • Depressed classes were to get ‘double vote’, one to be used through separate electorates and the other to be used in the general electorates
  • Allocation of seats were to be made for labourers, landlords, traders and industrialists.
  • Bombay - 7 Seat for Marathas.
Congress Stand
  • Strongly disagreeing with the Communal Award, the Congress decided neither to accept it nor to reject it.
  • Effort to separate the depressed classes from the rest of the Hindus by treating them as separate political entities was vehemently opposed by all the nationalists.
Gandhi’s Response
  • Gandhi saw attack on Indian unity and nationalism.
  • Once the depressed classes were treated as a separate political entity, he argued, the question of abolishing untouchability would get undermined, while separate electorates would ensure that the untouchables remained untouchables in perpetuity.
  • Demand for a larger number of reserved seats, went on an indefinite fast on September 20, 1932.
  • Leaders of various persuasions, including B.R. Ambedkar, M.C. Rajah and Madan Mohan Malaviya got together to hammer out a compromise contained in the Poona Pact.

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