Table of Contents
Introduction: Communal Award and Poona Pact
- The Communal Award and Poona Pact are significant events in the history of Indian politics, particularly relating to the issue of representation for different communities within the framework of British India.
- The Poona Pact was an agreement reached in September 1932 between Gandhi and Ambedkar. It aimed to address the concerns of the Dalit community regarding political representation.
Communal Award (1932)
- The Communal Award was a decision made by the British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald in August 1932. It aimed to determine the political representation of various communities in British India.
- Under this award, separate electorates were granted to religious minorities, including Muslims, Sikhs, Indian Christians, Anglo-Indians, Buddhists, Europeans, and others. This meant that members of these communities would vote for candidates of their community for certain reserved seats.
- In a separate electorate system, various communities, such as religious or social groups, have their own voting lists.
- Each community votes for candidates who are from their group to represent them in the government.
The Communal Award was fiercely opposed by many Indian leaders, particularly Mahatma Gandhi, who saw it as a policy of divide and rule and feared it would deepen communal divisions in Indian society.
Poona Pact (1932)
- In response to the Communal Award, Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, a prominent leader of the Dalit community (then referred to as “Untouchables”), negotiated the Poona Pact.
- Ambedkar was concerned about the adequate representation of Dalits in the legislature.
- Under the pact, it was agreed that there would be joint electorates for the depressed classes (Dalits), meaning they would vote in general elections alongside other communities. However, there would also be reserved seats for Dalits in provincial legislatures to ensure their representation.
- The number of reserved seats for Dalits would be 148 in different Provincial legislature in place of 71 as allocated in the Communal award.
The Poona Pact marked an important moment in Indian politics because it prevented the further institutionalization of communal divisions, which were seen as a threat to India’s unity.