Nehru Report:

Outline:
• Background
• Nehru Report
• Recommendations Of The Nehru Report
• Reaction To The Nehru Report
• Quaid’s Amendments
• Conclusion

Background:

Simon Commission came to India in Feb-March, 1928 from the Britain. All political parties rejected the Simon Commission and its report. Lord Birkenhead, who was British Secretary of State Of India, was very much offended on the treatment extended to the Simon Commission when the Indian political parties rejected the recommendations of the Simon Commission, he declared in the parliament,” The Indian are so divided, opposed and fed up of each other that they are unable to provide an unanimously accepted constitution.”
Nehru considered this statement as an insult offer the political leaders of India and decided to prepare a report comprising of a plan for India.

Nehru Report:

All-Parties Conference was held on 19th May, 1928. During this conference a seven-member committee under the chairmanship of Motilal Nehru was formed to formulate an agreed constitution. The report presented by the committee is known as “Nehru Report.” Nehru Report was presented on 10th August, 1928 and admonished government that if the report was not implemented immediately, Non-cooperation movement would be launched in the whole Sub-continent. The report contained the following recommendations:

i) Full-responsible government on the model of the constitution of self-governing dominions to be introduced in the Sub-continent.
ii) Separate electorate should be replaced by the joint electorate with the reservation of seats for minorities in proportion to their population.
iii) The foreign affairs defence and army should be placed under the control of the parliament and viceroy.
iv) Sindh should be separated from Bombay.
v) Full provincial status should be given to NWFP and Baluchistan.
vi) Unitary form of government to be introduced in the centre.
vii) Hindi should be made official language.

Reaction To The Nehru Report:

The Nehru Report shocked the Muslims because it envisaged the establishment of Hindu Raj in the guise of a responsible government. It made the Hindu-Muslim rift final and irrevocable. The anti-Muslim Hindu designs brought the unity among the Jinnah League and the Shafi League. When the report was discussed in the Indian Legislature Assembly, Jinnah and other Muslim leaders rejected it in strong words. According to K.K Aziz:

“There is a little doubt that the Nehru Report conferred
The real power upon the Hindu majority and envisaged a
Hindu Raj. At least that was the impression it conveyed
to the Muslim mind. The Lucknow Pact had been forgotten.
The good old days of the Khilafat Movement were fled
never to return. The unity of the Congress-League scheme
was buried deep under the debris of communal riots.”

Quaid’s Amendments:

An All-Party National Conference was held in Calcutta in December, 1928 to consider the Nehru Report. Quaid-e-Azam proposed amendments to the Nehru Report.
i) One-Third representation for the Muslims in the central legislature.
ii) Muslim presentation in the Bengal and Punjab provinces on the basis of population.
iii) Residuary powers be given to the provinces instead of the central government.
All the amendments, proposed by Quaid-e-Azam when put to vote were rejected by the Hindu majority.

Conclusion:

Quaid-e-Azam rejected the Nehru Report altogether and said, “The Committee has adopted a narrow minded policy to ruin the political future of the Muslims. I regret to declare that the report is extremely ambiguous and does not deserve to be implemented.”
Owing to the partiality of the Nehru Report, Quaid-e-Azam presented his celebrated fourteen points.