Nehru Report

  • February 1928 , All Parties Conference and appointed a sub-committee under the chairmanship of Motilal Nehru to draft a constitution. First major attempt.
  • Tej Bahadur Sapru, Subhash Bose, M.S. Aney, Mangal Singh, Ali Imam, Shuab Qureshi and G.R. Pradhan as its members.
  • August 1928, Report was finalised.
  • “dominion status” as the basis of the Constitution & “complete independence” as the basis.
Main Recommendations
Future link-up of British India with the princely states on a federal basis.
  • Self-governing dominions as the form of government desired by Indians.
  • Rejection of separate electorates, demand for joint electorates with reservation of seats for Muslims.
  • Linguistic provinces.
  • Nineteen fundamental rights.
  • Responsible government.
  • Central government to be headed by a governor-general, appointed by the British government but paid out of Indian revenues.
  • Central executive council responsible to the Parliament.
  • Provincial council headed by a governor, advice of the provincial executive council.
  • Full protection to cultural and religious interests of Muslims.
  • Complete dissociation of State from religion.
The Muslim and Hindu Communal Responses
  • Nehru Report got involved in controversies over the issue of communal representation.
Delhi Proposals of Muslim League
December 1927, Delhi at the Muslim League session & evolved four proposals for their demands to be incorporated into the draft constitution. Accepted by the Madras session of the Congress (December 1927) - Delhi Proposals.
  • Joint electorates in place of separate electorates with reserved seats for Muslims;
  • One-third representation to Muslims in Central Legislative Assembly;
  • Representation to Muslims in Punjab and Bengal in proportion to their population;
  • Formation of three new Muslim majority provinces - Sindh, Baluchistan and North-West Frontier Province.
Hindu Mahasabha Demands
  • Opposed to the proposals for creating new Muslim-majority provinces and reservation of seats for Muslims majorities in Punjab and Bengal.
Compromises
  • All Parties Conference, the Muslim League dissociated itself and stuck to its demand.
  • Demands of the Muslim communal opinion were accepted. Hindu communalists would withdraw their support, later Muslim leaders would get estranged.
    • Joint electorates proposed everywhere but reservation for Muslims only where in minority.
    • Sindh to be detached from Bombay only after dominion status was granted and subject to weightage given to Hindu minority in Sindh.
    • Political structure proposed broadly unitary, as residual powers rested with the centre.
Amendments Proposed by Jinnah
December 1928, All Parties Conference held at Calcutta.
  • One-third representation to Muslims in the central legislature.
  • Reservation to Muslims in Bengal and Punjab legislatures proportionate to their population.
  • Residual powers to provinces.
Jinnah’s Fourteen Points
  1. Federal Constitution with residual powers to provinces.
  2. Provincial autonomy.
  3. No constitutional amendment by the centre without the concurrence of the states constituting the Indian federation.
  4. All legislatures and elected bodies to have adequate representation of Muslims in every province without reducing a majority of Muslims in a province to a minority or equality.
  5. Adequate representation to Muslims in the services and in self-governing bodies.
  6. One-third Muslim representation in the central legislature.
  7. In any cabinet at the centre or in the provinces, one third to be Muslims.
  8. Separate electorates.
  9. No bill or resolution in any legislature to be passed if three-fourths of a minority community consider such a bill or resolution to be against their interests.
  10. Any territorial redistribution not to affect the Muslim majority in Punjab, Bengal and NWFP.
  11. Separation of Sindh from Bombay.
  12. Constitutional reforms in the NWFP and Baluchistan.
  13. Full religious freedom to all communities.
  14. Protection of Muslim rights in religion, culture, education and language.
Nehru Report Found Unsatisfactory
  • Not only were the Muslim League, the Hindu Mahasabha and the Sikh communalists unhappy about the Nehru Report, but the younger section of the Congress led by Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhash Bose were also angered.
  • Nehru and Subhash Bose rejected the Congress’ modified goal and jointly set up the Independence for India League.

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