On August 16, 1932, British Prime Minister Ramsay Macdonald announced the Communal Award policy. Through this, he accepted the demand for separate elections for various minority communities, including Muslims, Indian Christians, Sikhs, Anglo-Indians, and Harijans. Due to the Communal Award 1932, the communal situation became complex, and it essentially declared victory for Muslim communal politics. In this way, the announcement of the ‘Communal Award policy paved the way for creating division within the Hindu community and overall division in India.
Background of Communal Award 1932
- The Simon Commission report stated that the future proposed constitution could be reviewed, amended, and expanded. India’s final decision would be federal. Therefore, the British government organised three consecutive Round Table Conferences in London for constitutional reform in India at this time and to temporarily suppress the Civil Disobedience Movement started under Mahatma Gandhi’s leadership on March 12, 1930.
- The ‘First Round Table Conference,’ organized from Nov 12, 1930, to Jan 19, 1931, was attended by all political parties except Congress. This conference was presided over by British Prime Minister Ramsay Macdonald. Muslim League leaders present at the meeting, including Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Aga Khan, Fazlul Haque, Muhammad Ali Bogra, and Muhammad Safi, demanded separate elections on a communal basis and also stated that they would not accept any constitution unless Muslim interests were properly protected. Since Congress did not participate in this meeting, it ultimately failed.
- After the ‘Gandhi-Irwin Pact’ (5 March 1931) was signed between Mahatma Gandhi and Lord Irwin, the Congress finally participated in the Second Round Table Conference, which lasted from September 7, 1931, to December 1, 1931. Mahatma Gandhi attended this meeting as the sole representative of Congress. However, with government instigation, the Muslim League and other minority communities became heavily involved in riots to protect their communal interests and continued to make unreasonable unlimited demands. Despite his utmost efforts to solve this problem, Mahatma Gandhi ultimately failed. Gandhi declared that the Round Table Conference members were nominated in such a way that it was impossible to resolve the minority issue with their help. On the other hand, Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar demanded that some legislative assembly seats should be reserved for underprivileged Hindu classes. Meanwhile, Muslim League leaders created major obstacles in resolving the communal question.
- Since there was no consensus among Indian leaders regarding the minority problem at this Second Round Table Conference, the Communal Award policy was announced by British Prime Minister Ramsay Macdonald on August 16, 1932, to somewhat contain communal riots and solve the minority problem. He even stated that since Indian leaders had failed to resolve the minority problem, the government would formulate a solution to this problem according to its own decision.
Objectives of the Communal Award 1932
British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald announced the Communal Award policy in 1932. Its main purpose was to divide Indian society and the political system. There were two main objectives:
- Creating Division Between Communities: To destroy the sense of brotherhood and unity among various communities of India, destroy communal harmony, and make racial discrimination more complex. This was a strategy to break down the unity of Indian society.
- Weakening the Nationalist Movement: To weaken the anti-British national movement, especially the movements led by Congress and other nationalist forces. Another major objective of this policy was to erode the power of nationalist leaders through division.
You can also read about Wavell Plan 1945: Objectives, Simla Conference, Its Failure.
Features of Communal Award 1932
In his announcement on August 16, 1932, Ramsay Macdonald stated that:
- Muslim, Sikh, Anglo-Indian, and European voters would vote separately by the community in Indian legislative assembly elections, meaning only Muslim voters would vote for Muslim-reserved seats.
- Similar arrangements would be made for Sikhs.
- The Hindu community was divided into caste Hindus and backwards Hindus, with separate election arrangements for them.
- For underprivileged or backwards-class Hindus, it was stated that they could vote like other voters in general election centers and their representatives would be able to compete in the election at that center just like anyone else.
- Since backwards-class Hindus were disadvantaged, some seats would be reserved exclusively for this class to protect their interests.
- Only backward-class voters could vote for backward-class candidates in these reserved constituencies.
- While these voters were entitled to vote in reserved constituencies, they could also vote again in general seat elections, meaning backward-class Hindu voters could vote twice.
- These reserved seats would only be given in areas where the backward Hindu class population was high.
- However, Ramsay Macdonald stated that if caste Hindus and backward classes made any alternative arrangement, he would not object.
You can also read about Surat Split of 1907: Causes, Moderates and Extremists, Impact.
Reactions to the Communal Award 1932
After the Communal Award 1932 policy was announced, various reactions were observed:
- The Communal Award policy declared victory for Muslim leaders’ communal policy. All communal demands of the League were accepted through this policy.
- Congress strongly opposed this policy. Mahatma Gandhi realized that if this policy was implemented, Hindu community unity would break down and they would be politically ruined. On August 18, 1932, through a letter, Mahatma Gandhi informed British Prime Minister Ramsay Macdonald that he would protect Hindu community unity even at the cost of his life. He will continue his hunger strike, even if he dies until the Communal Award is repealed and the joint election of Hindus is recognized.
- Finally, when Gandhi began his fast unto death on September 20, 1932, while imprisoned in Yerwada Jail in protest of this Communal Award policy, it created a tremendous sensation across India. In this situation, saving Gandhi’s life became very important. As a result, the Civil Disobedience Movement issue was overshadowed, and Congress leaders began discussions with Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar.
- After much discussion between scheduled caste leader Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar and Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya on behalf of Gandhi and other Hindus, they signed the ‘Poona Pact’ on September 24, 1932. This agreement accepted the principle of joint elections for Hindus. Additionally, the scheduled communities received double the seats they would have gotten through the Communal Award, and finally, Gandhi broke his fast on September 26.
- After the Communal Award policy was announced, the Muslim League’s demand for a separate Pakistan intensified. In January 1933, Punjabi Muslim student Choudhary Rahmat Ali of Cambridge University and his followers demanded the formation of a separate Pakistan state comprising five Muslim-majority provinces – Punjab, Afghan Pradesh, Kashmir, Sindhu, and Balochistan – in a four-page pamphlet titled “Now or Never.” Shortly after, he started the ‘Pakistan National Movement‘ and established several propaganda centers in the proposed ‘Pakistan’ territory. Soon after, in 1940, the Muslim League demanded a separate Pakistan at the Lahore session, and the separate Pakistan movement quickly became popular.
Communal Award 1932 FAQs
What is Communal Award?
On August 16, 1932, British Prime Minister Ramsay Macdonald made an announcement establishing separate electoral systems for each community including caste Hindus, backwards Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, and Anglo-Indians. This became known as the Communal Award policy.
Who announced the Communal Award and when?
On August 16, 1932, at this Second Round Table Conference, the Communal Award policy was announced by British Prime Minister Ramsay Macdonald.
What was Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s stance on the Communal Award?
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar strongly supported the Communal Award policy and demanded separate electorates for the Depressed Classes. This was because he believed that the Depressed Classes were significantly backward in society, superstitious, oppressed, and exploited by upper-class people. Therefore, he argued that they should be considered as a separate, independent minority distinct from caste Hindus, and he strongly advocated for their political, social, and economic rights.
Under what circumstances did the British government announce the Communal Award policy?
Before the Civil Disobedience Movement began in 1930, the political divide between Hindu and Muslim communities had become apparent. When the Civil Disobedience Movement started under Gandhi’s leadership in 1930, two prominent leaders of the Khilafat Movement and Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who was once known as Gandhi’s close follower, along with Shaukat Ali, stayed away from the Civil Disobedience Movement. At the All-India Muslim Conference held in Bombay in 1930, Muhammad Ali Jinnah declared that Congress’s movement was essentially a Hindu movement and that Gandhi’s movement’s main purpose was to make the Muslim community dependent on the Hindu Mahasabha. Under these circumstances, the British government announced the ‘Communal Award’ policy on August 16, 1932.
What were the two main steps of the Communal Award?
The two main steps of this policy were: First, various communities were allowed to have representation in the legislative assembly. Second, the separate electoral system was extended not only to the Muslim community but also to the Dalit class.
