First Round Table Conference 1930: Key Events and Outcomes

The First Round Table Conference, Second Round Table Conference, and Third Round Table Conference, organized from November 1930 to December 1932, were a series of peace conferences arranged by the British government and Indian political leaders. These three Round Table Conferences were organized to discuss constitutional reforms in India.

Viceroy Lord Irwin announced on October 31, 1929, that a Round Table Conference would convene in London following the publication of the Simon Commission’s report. Accordingly, on November 12, 1930, the government organized the First Round Table Conference in London with Indian leaders from various parties. King George V inaugurated this conference, and British Prime Minister Ramsay Macdonald presided over this meeting.

Background of First Round Table Conference

There were several backgrounds behind the organization of the First Round Table Conference, which are as follows:

• During the Civil Disobedience Movement, in mid-1930, the Simon Commission’s report was published. However, nationalist leaders and even Viceroy Lord Irwin were unsatisfied with this commission’s report. He feared that the absence of any mention of Dominion Status in this report would create an atmosphere of disorder in India. In fact, the extent and intensity of the Civil Disobedience Movement had worried him. Therefore, Irwin wanted to reach an understanding at that time.
• He realized that merely taking repressive measures would not accomplish anything. In fact, throughout 1930, the government could not follow any specific policy. However, to break this movement, the government used all weapons at its disposal, such as lathi charges, shooting, widespread beatings, and imprisoning movement leaders. In short, everything was employed. Hundreds of people were killed. Despite this, Lord Irwin was concerned about seeing the intensity of the movement. Therefore, he planned a round table conference to resolve this situation.
• He had also hinted that ‘Dominion Status’ could be discussed at this round table conference. In this situation, Tej Bahadur Sapru and MR Jayakar met Mahatma Gandhi in Yerwada jail. Meanwhile, Motilal Nehru and Jawaharlal Nehru also went to meet Gandhi in jail. However, nothing substantial came out of these talks. Yet it became clear that even though Congress would not participate in the Round Table Conference, leaders from other parties were willing to join this meeting, and so they did. The First Round Table Conference was held in London from 12 Nov 1930 to 19 Jan 1931, without Congress.

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Participants of the First Round Table Conference

The leaders who participated in this First Round Table Conference were:

• Among the business community, besides Homi Mody, most of India’s businessmen participated in this meeting. Among the Muslim League leaders were Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Aga Khan, Fazlul Haque, and Mian Muhammad Shafi. Hindu Mahasabha leaders MR Jayakar and Balakrishna Shivaram Moonje; Justice Party leaders Tej Bahadur Sapru, Chintamani, and Srinivasa Sastri; Scheduled Caste leader Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and Rettamalai Srinivasan; and among women leaders were Begum Jahanara Shahnawaz and Radhabai Subbarayan; and several Princely States’ rulers participated in this conference. Even representatives from Sikh and other minority or underdeveloped classes joined this conference. However, in the absence of Congress, the entire meeting became virtually meaningless, as Congress was India’s largest party.

Why Indian National Congress boycotted First Round Table Conference?

There were several reasons Why Indian National Congress boycotted First Round Table Conference:

• Firstly, Congress had demanded Poorna Swaraj (Complete Independence) in the Lahore Session of 1929, which the British government had refused.
• Secondly, during this period in 1930, many Indian nationalist leaders were imprisoned due to the Civil Disobedience Movement led by Gandhi.
• Thirdly, the Simon Commission Report was not satisfactory to Indians.

Issues discussed in First Round Table Conference

The issues that were discussed in the First Round Table Conference were:

• Creating a system to share power between the central government and separate provinces.
• The discussions highlighted how each province should have its own rules and administration system.
• Emphasis was placed on protecting minority community rights to ensure fair representation. Therefore, in this meeting, Muslims presented Jinnah’s famous 14-point demands, including separate communal electorates.
• Dr. B.R. Ambedkar also demanded separate electorates on behalf of the Scheduled Communities. Meanwhile, the Sikhs demanded 30% of seats in Punjab.
• Hindus remained firm on their demand for joint electorates. However, they principally accepted the question of seat reservation for minorities (except in Bengal and Punjab).
• Discussions were held on coordinating and controlling defence services to maintain security and order.
• The process of allowing people to vote and elect their representatives was a key topic of discussion.
• The concept of government accountability to the legislature was debated in this meeting.
• In the First Round Table Conference, Tej Bahadur Sapru presented the idea of the All-India Federation. The Muslim League and the Princely States agreed to this on the condition of maintaining internal sovereignty.

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Key Outcomes of First Round Table Conference

• The First Round Table Conference failed due to Congress’s non-participation. After this failure, the British government wanted to reach a compromise with Congress. On January 26, 1931, they unconditionally released Gandhi and Congress Working Committee members to show the government’s interest in this matter. The British Prime Minister hoped that Congress would participate in the next Round Table Conference.
• On the other hand, after returning to the country following participation in the First Round Table Conference, Justice Party leaders Tej Bahadur Sapru and MR Jayakar tried to convince Congress leaders that reaching an understanding with the government was extremely necessary. Gandhi initially did not show interest in talks with the government. Then, in mid-February, Gandhiji changed his mind. He sat for discussions with Viceroy Lord Irwin. These discussions resulted from the ‘Gandhi-Irwin Pact,’ signed on March 5, 1931.

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