Second Round Table Conference 1931: Participants, Failure, Outcomes

After the failure of the First Round Table Conference, the Second Round Table Conference was held in London from 7th September to 1st December 1931. The British government recognized the importance of the Congress party’s participation in the Round Table Conference for implementing effective constitutional reforms and expressed hope that Indian National Congress leaders would join the second Round Table Conference. Lord Irwin had also met with Mahatma Gandhi to reach a compromise. Subsequently, on 5th March 1931, the ‘Gandhi-Irwin Pact‘ was signed between Mahatma Gandhi and Lord Irwin. According to the agreement, Mahatma Gandhi (Gandhiji) agreed to suspend the Civil Disobedience Movement and participate in the Second Round Table Conference.

The names of the leaders from most political parties participating in the Second Round Table Conference, the issues discussed in the meeting, the reasons for the conference’s failure, and its outcomes are discussed below.

Participants of the Second Round Table Conference

Here is the list of representatives from various sections of Indian society who participated in the Second Round Table Conference in London:

• James Ramsay Macdonald was the president of the Second Round Table Conference. Many princely states and their maharajas, nawabs, and sardars participated in this conference, including Alwar, Darbhanga, Bhopal, Bikaner, Indore, Jammu and Kashmir, Patiala, Manubhai Mehta (Baroda), Sardar Sahibzada Sultan Ahmed Khan (Gwalior), and Sir Muhammad Akbar Hydari (Hyderabad).
• Among the participating women leaders were Sarojini Naidu, Begum Jahanara Shahnawaz, and Radhabai Subbarayan. Muslim League representatives included Aga Khan III, Maulana Shaukat Ali, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, A. K. Fazlul Huq, Sir Muhammad Iqbal, Muhammad Shafi, and Muhammad Zafarullah Khan. Hindu Mahasabha leaders included B. S. Moonje and M. R. Jayakar.
• From the Depressed classes were Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, and Rettamalai Srinivasan. Sardar Ujjal Singh was from the Sikh community. The Indian National Liberal Federation (Liberal Party) leaders included J. N. Basu, C. Y. Chintamani, Tej Bahadur Sapru, V. S. Srinivasa Sastri, and Chimanlal Harilal Setalvad. Justice Party leaders included Raja of Bobbili, Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar, Sir A. P. Patro, and Bhaskarrao Vithojirao Jadhav.

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Issues discussed at the Second Round Table Conference

• The main topics of the Second Round Table Conference from 7th September to 1st December 1931 were forming an independent state in India in the future and protecting the rights of minority communities. But from the beginning, there were strong disagreements over these two questions. Because Muslims were unwilling to accept a federal structure due to fear of Hindu dominance, while the British government was not at all willing to accept independence based on the nationalists’ demand for Dominion Status.
• From the Congress side, Gandhiji was the sole representative, demanding a responsible government at the central level and in provinces and full government powers in financial, military, defense, and foreign affairs. He even presented a demand for complete independence. He also said that the Viceroy would be the constitutional head of the government. Although Gandhiji emphasized constitutional reforms, the British government placed more importance on the minority issue. Despite his best efforts, he could not convince Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, and other minority communities that achieving communal unity was most crucial in the current situation. The British government refused to accept these demands of Gandhiji, and Gandhiji remained firm in his decision. Thus, the Second Round Table Conference ultimately failed.

Reasons for the Failure of the Second Round Table Conference

• Representatives from various parties, except Congress, became bound by narrow communal mindsets in their demands for solving minority issues in India, creating a deadlock in the conference. Naturally, the Second Round Table Conference failed, and Gandhiji returned home empty-handed.
• Subhash Chandra Bose severely criticized Gandhiji’s role in the failure of the Second Round Table Conference. He believed that Gandhiji did not have the skills to achieve success in this meeting through single-handed efforts and diplomatic manoeuvring. While Gandhiji could be sincere, he did not possess political strategy and cleverness. Subhas Chandra felt Gandhiji should have participated in the First Round Table Conference when Lord Irwin was in Delhi and the Labour Party was in power in London. But in 1931, with the conservative party-influenced national government in London and Lord Willingdon’s rule in Delhi, favourable circumstances were not present. Many historians considered Subhash Chandra’s statement to be logical.
• However, Professor Amalesh Tripathi blamed the Muslim and other minority communities more for the conference’s failure. He also said that blaming Gandhi alone would be incorrect because if each group remains inflexible in its demands, success cannot be expected.

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Outcomes of Second Round Table Conference

The results of the Second Round Table Conference have some negative aspects as well as some positive aspects, which are as follows:

• This session further widened the gap between the Congress and the minorities.
• No significant constitutional reforms were implemented in the Second Round Table Conference.
• After this conference, two separate provinces were formed: Sindh and the North-West Frontier Province.
• Explaining the results of the Second Round Table Conference, Professor Amalesh Tripathi commented that as a result of this conference, the Civil Disobedience Movement was suspended and the terrorists became active. This pause weakened the peasant movement in the United Provinces.
• However, this temporary interruption could not completely discourage people. Even the government’s repressive policies could not break people’s morale. Although some nationalist leaders criticized Gandhi and lost faith in him, the common people still did not lose their faith in Congress and Gandhiji. Dr MA Ansari expressed the people’s sentiment by commenting, “Having fought long enough we prepare to rest.”
• Gandhiji himself was not discouraged. He later wrote to Jawaharlal Nehru, “I have no sense of defeat in me, and the hope in me that this country of ours is fast marching towards its goal is burning as bright as it did in 1920.” From one perspective, the failure of the Second Round Table Conference led to the Civil Disobedience Movement restarting with new vigour.

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