CONGRESS RULE IN THE PROVINCES
Elections 1937
Muslim League manifesto (i) 1935 Act is unworkable; (ii) ML would get maximum benefit out of it. The manifesto was same but two things; Urdu Language and separate electorates.
“The manifestos show that there was not unbridgeable gape. Yet, there was no such a will.”
“The League manifesto was clearly an offer for cooperation. Had the congress accepted the offer, the whole constitutional scene would have been different.” IH Qureshi
Provincial elections:
• Congress 706 out of 1771 seats (26/58 Muslim seats, so only 5% of Muslims)
• Muslim League 102 out of 482 Muslim seats (26% Muslim votes)
CONGRESS RULE
Congress refused to formed ministries till July 1937 on the basis of GG’s discretionary powers – in Muslims favor.
The period of less than two and a half years, from July 1939 to October 1939, when congress ministries ruled eight of the eleven Indian provinces was extremely crucial in the history of Hindu Muslim relations.
A. Refusal to Form Coalition Government
The Election results had strengthened this hope, for congress had not bothered to contest more than a small number fraction of Muslim seats and not won even a majority of that. Therefore, everyone looked forward to the formation of congress league coalition in all Hindu Majority provinces. The refusal of the Congress to cooperate belied all such hopes.
In July 1937, Congress formed governments in 6 provinces. In NWFP, Khudai Khidmatgar and Congress formed a coalition government. In the Muslim majority provinces, the Muslim League could not form the governments. The Muslim League desired to be in government in the U.P. but the Congress consented to a conditional support:
1. Dissolve AIML Parliamentary Board
2. AIML members not to function as a separate group
3. AIML members to express allegiance to the Congress
Definitely the above-mentioned terms were a device to subvert the existence of the Muslim League. Therefore, no agreement was possible on this issue.
Nehru told Chaudhary Khaliq uz Zaman in May 1937,
“The Hindu Muslim question is confined to a few Muslim intellectuals, landlords and capitalists who were cooking up a problem which did not in fact exist in the mind of the masses.”
“Nehru’s mistake lay in his attempt at killing Muslim nationalism with ridicule. Later events were to show the folly of his attitude, for it created nothing but bitterness and bad blood.” IH Qureshi
B. The Muslim Mass Contact Movement:
Along with its refusal to share power with the Muslim League the Congress pursued anti-Muslim League policy in another direction as well. Its power among masses should be weakened and finally broken. Thus began the ambitious but short lived campaign.
This philosophy was followed by Nehru’s statement that,
“power was now crystallized in only two opposing ranks – Congress for Indian nationalism and British for imperialism. Other parties do not count.”
Comment:
Maulvi Abdul Hakeem, Punjab Moderate Muslims Association, warned Muslims against this and called it “conversion of Muslims”.
C. Dictatorship of the Congress
The outstanding constitutional feature of the congress provincial government of the 1937-39 was that they did not conform to the kind of parliamentary gov’t envisaged in the Act. The congress provinces were not autonomous.
Congress ministers were not allowed to act independently
Sir Banirjee says, “Gandhi was a dictator by proxy, he did not rule directly but he was accepted as religious obligation.”
D. Policies of the Congress Governments: (July 1937-Nov. 1939)
First all Congress governments in the provinces launched anti-Muslim drive basicaly to exclude the ML and other Muslim organizations from the government making process. The Congress leaders had come to know that the ML had got roots in the masses. They started ‘Muslim Mass Contact’ movement to defame the ML in their favour. They were making cultural and educational policies that promoted the Hindu culture and symbols in the name of Indian culture. They introduced Banda-Mataram anthem from Annandmath in the institutions and offices etc. The Hindi language was given top most importance in their policies. Wardha Educational Scheme was to convert Muslims into Hindus through primary educational literature. Projection of Hindu heroes like Gandhi and distortion of Muslim history became their moral creed. They folowed the policy of discrimination in services or new recruitment for jobs.
In the UP, the provincial government had directed the local administration to consult the local congress leaders.
The Congress ministries adopted overal negative and cruel atitude, especialy towards the Muslim activists. This unjust treatment compeled the Muslims to be disciplined in every sphere of life.
Muslim Response:
The Muslims were well aware of the theocratic inclination of the Hindu people. They arranged a close monitoring of the government. They publicized their policies and raised the issues. The mobilization of Muslims on these matters required keen probe to colect the original facts of the Hindu atrocities.
1. The Pirpur Report:
On March 28, 1938, the Council of ML appointed an eight-member commitee under the presidentship of Raja Syed Muhammad Mehdi of Pirpur that presented its report on, November 15, 1938. It tried to dig out the cruelties of the Congress ministries in seven provinces. The report took up the Congress support to the rival Muslim organizations, intimidation and threats to the pro-Muslim League people.
2. The Sharif Report, March 1939
The ML deputed Mr. Shareef with members to investigate the injustices under the dictatorial rule of the Hindus. This report mainly colected the facts, concentrating on il treatment of the government with the Muslims in Bihar.
3. The Fazl-ul- Haq Report: (December 1939)
A. K. Fazl-ul-Haq published a pamphlet entitled Muslim Sufferings Under the Rule of Congress and made many alarming revelations e.g. forbidding of Azan, atacks in mosques, noisy processions of the Hindu scoundrels, forbidding of the cow-slaughter etc. This pamphlet responded the indictments by the Congress on the Muslims.
All the reports described the Congress government as an atempt to create ‘Hindu Raj’ that wanted to overwhelm the Muslim culture and their identity. It was a rigorous threat to the Muslims’ interests.
Muslim League Activism:
The Muslim League highlighted the issues and mobilized the Muslims to counter them adequately. It reorganized the Muslim community to cope with the situation. The ML arranged its session at Lucknow in October 1937. Many prominent leaders like Fazlul Haq participated in the session while Sikander Hayat and Saadulah announced their support to the ML.
The Muslim leaders shed a sharp criticism on the Congress policies. They protested against the reduction of status of Urdu and other Muslim related issues. They created realization, amongst the Muslims, of what can happen under the Congress rule and urged for serious thinking about the future political and constitutional arrangements. They unearthed the real objectives of the Congress and urged the need of unity among the Muslims under the banner of Muslim League.
The Second World War (September 1939) proved blessing for the Muslims in a sense that the Congress Ministries resigned in November 1939. The Muslims observed Day of Deliverance on December 22, 1939.
Reorganization of Muslim League:
The ML redefined its position during the World War II. They expressed their enthusiasm that no constitution to be enforced without the consent of the Muslims. They eradicated their organizational weaknesses and refined their objectives keeping the experiences of the Congress ministries.
Intellectual Commentary on Congress Rule and its impact
Short term effect of these policies:
1. It weakened the capacity of responsible government. In democracy it is public opinion which rules but in congress ministries it was vice versa.
2. Provincial autonomy was nullified by the rule of the High command
3. Totalitarian policies of congress made it impossible to negotiate. Totalitarianism produced arrogance which is opposed to give and take spirit.
Long term effects:
1. More awareness to minorities
“The rise of congress, to power made the Muslims feel for the first time what it was to be in a minority. They had become acutely aware of the rising tide of Hindu rule, and that produced a consolidation of political opinion and organization in India.” Lothian in Asiatic Review
“The Congress was the Indian counterpart of Nazi party in Germany.” Bonarjee, A Christian
2. Constitutional safeguards: a non-entity
“The congress rule taught the minorities that administrative or even constitutional safeguards are no effective protection against an attitude of mind in the numerically dominant party which treats all other sections of opinion as politically-defeated antagonists.” I H Qureshi
3. Strengthened Muslim League’s power among masses
The more aggressive became the tone of congress the greater grew the confidence of Muslim League. ML countered every argument of the congress;
• To the congress argument of communalism narrating the hardships under congress “secular” rule
• Congress’s pledge to protect minorities ML pointed to futility of constitutional safeguards
• Democracy and freedom greater Muslim apprehension about Hindu domination
4. Paved the way towards separation
Slowly but relentlessly the congress was forcing the Muslim of India into separation.” IH Qureshi
5. Communal Tensions
“I foresaw that the result of the present congress party policy will be class bitterness, communal war and strengthening of the imperialistic hold as a consequence.” Quaid