The Round Table Conferences were three key meetings (1930-1932) between British officials and Indian leaders to discuss constitutional reforms. Despite extensive discussions, the conferences resulted in limited progress, setting the stage for the Government of India Act of 1935.
Overview: The Round Table Conferences were a series of three major meetings held between British officials and Indian leaders to discuss constitutional reforms in India. The initiative for these conferences came as a result of the perceived inadequacies of the Simon Commission report. Lord Irwin, the Viceroy of India, and Ramsay MacDonald, the British Prime Minister, agreed on the necessity of these conferences to address the political demands and aspirations of Indians.
Opening: Officially opened by King George V on November 12, 1930
Chair: Ramsay MacDonald
Participants:
Indian Princely States: Maharaja of Alwar, Maharaja of Baroda, Nawab of Bhopal, Maharaja of Bikaner, Rana of Dholpur, Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, Maharaja of Nawanagar, Maharaja of Patiala, Maharaja of Rewa, Chief Sahib of Sangli, Sir Prabhashankar Pattani (Bhavnagar), Manubhai Mehta (Baroda), Sardar Sahibzada Sultan Ahmed Khan (Gwalior), Akbar Hydari (Hyderabad), Mirza Ismail (Mysore), Col. Kailas Narain Haksar (Jammu and Kashmir).
Muslim League: Aga Khan III, Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar, Muhammad Shafi, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Muhammad Zafarullah Khan, A.K. Fazlul Huq, Hafiz Ghulam Hussain Hidayat Ullah, Dr. Shafa’at Ahmad Khan, Raja Sher Muhammad Khan of Domeli, A.H. Ghuznavi.
Hindu Mahasabha: B.S. Moonje, M.R. Jayakar, Diwan Bahadur Raja Narendra Nath.
Europeans: Sir Hubert Carr, Sir Oscar de Glanville (Burma), T.F. Gavin Jones, C.E. Wood (Madras).
Other Groups: Representatives from Bihar, United Provinces, Orissa, universities, Burma, Sindh, and other provinces.
Outcome: The first Round Table Conference resulted in limited achievements. There was a general consensus on India developing into a federation with safeguards for defense and finance, but concrete steps to implement these recommendations were lacking. The Indian National Congress’s absence was noted, and civil disobedience continued in India.
Indian National Congress: Mahatma Gandhi (nominated as the sole representative), A. Rangaswami Iyengar, Madan Mohan Malaviya.
Indian Princely States: Maharaja of Alwar, Maharaja of Baroda, Nawab of Bhopal, Maharaja of Bikaner, Maharao of Kutch, Rana of Dholpur, Maharaja of Indore, Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, Maharaja of Kapurthala, Maharaja of Nawanagar, Maharaja of Patiala, Maharaja of Rewa, Chief Sahib of Sangli, Raja of Sarila, Sir Prabhashankar Pattani (Bhavnagar), Manubhai Mehta (Baroda), Sardar Sahibzada Sultan Ahmed Khan (Gwalior), Sir Muhammad Akbar Hydari (Hyderabad), Mirza Ismail (Mysore), Col. K.N. Haksar (Jammu and Kashmir), T. Raghavaiah (Travancore), Liaqat Hayat Khan (Patiala).
Muslims: Aga Khan III, Maulana Shaukat Ali, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, A.K. Fazlul Huq, Muhammad Iqbal, Muhammad Shafi, Muhammad Zafarullah Khan, Syed Ali Imam, Maulvi Muhammad Shafi Daudi, Raja Sher Muhammad Khan of Domeli, A.H. Ghuznavi, Hafiz Hidayat Hussain, Sayed Muhammad Padshah Saheb Bahadur, Dr. Shafa’at Ahmad Khan, Jamal Muhammad, Nawab Sahibzada Sayed Muhammad Mehr Shah.
Hindu Groups: M.R. Jayakar, B.S. Moonje, Diwan Bahadur Raja Narendra Nath.
Liberals: J. N. Basu, C.Y. Chintamani, Tej Bahadur Sapru, V.S. Srinivasa Sastri, Chimanlal Harilal Setalvad.
Justice Party: Raja of Bobbili, Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar, Sir A.P. Patro, Bhaskarrao Vithojirao Jadhav.
Universities: Syed Sultan Ahmed, Bisheshwar Dayal Seth.
Other Groups: Representatives from Burma, and provinces of Sindh, Assam, Central Provinces, NWFP.
Outcome: The Second Round Table Conference faced several challenges:
The transition in British leadership from Labour to a National Government, which was a coalition of Labour and Conservatives, impacted negotiations.
The Right Wing in Britain, led by Churchill, opposed equal negotiations with the Congress and demanded a strong government in India.
Gandhi's insistence on the Congress's representation of all Indians, and his opposition to separate electorates for minorities, led to deadlock.
The Princes were reluctant to support a federal structure.
The conference concluded with announcements including the creation of Muslim-majority provinces (NWFP and Sindh), the formation of an Indian Consultative Committee, and expert committees on finance, franchise, and states. However, the core issue of Indian freedom was not addressed.
Indian States: Akbar Hydari, Mirza Ismail, V.T. Krishnamachari, Wajahat Hussain, Sir Sukhdeo Prasad, J.A. Surve, Raja Oudh Narain Bisarya, Manubhai Mehta, Nawab Liaqat Hayat Khan, Fateh Naseeb Khan, L.F. Rushbrook Williams, Raja of Sarila, and other small states.
Other Indian Representatives: Aga Khan III, B.R. Ambedkar, Ramakrishna Ranga Rao, Sir Hubert Carr, Nanak Chand Pandit, A.H. Ghuznavi, Henry Gidney, Hafiz Hidayat Hussain, Muhammad Iqbal, M.R. Jayakar, Cowasji Jehangir, N.M. Joshi, Narasimha Chintaman Kelkar, Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar, Begum Jahanara Shahnawaz, A.P. Patro, Tej Bahadur Sapru, Dr. Shafa’at Ahmad Khan, Sir Shadi Lal, Tara Singh Malhotra, Sir Nripendra Nath Sircar, Sir Purshottamdas Thakurdas, Muhammad Zafarullah Khan.
Outcome: The Third Round Table Conference, like the previous ones, achieved little. The recommendations were published in a White Paper in March 1933 and later debated in the British Parliament. A Joint Select Committee analyzed these recommendations, leading to the drafting of the Government of India Act of 1935, which was enacted in July 1935.
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