Contents show
Government of India Act, 1935
- The Government of India Act 1935 was one of the important positive outcomes of the Civil Disobedience Movement.
The key features of the Act
- The Act provided Provincial autonomy and abolished Diarchy in Provinces.
- Diarchy that was in operation in provinces was now extended to the central government.
- The Act provided for an all India Federation with 11 provinces, 6 Chief commissioner’s provinces and Princely States which wished to join the federation.
- All transferred subjects came the control of Indian ministers.
- The franchise, based on property, was extended though only about ten percent of the population enjoyed the right to vote.
- By this Act Burma was separated from India.
First Congress Ministries
Congress Ministries and their Work
- The Government of India Act 1935 was implemented with the announcement of elections in 1937.
- The Congress called off its programme of boycott of legislature and contested elections.
- It emerged victorious in seven out of the eleven provinces.
- It formed ministries in 8 provinces – Madras, Bombay, Central Provinces, Orissa, Bihar, and United Provinces, North West Frontier Province.
- The Muslim League succeeded in winning only 4.8 percent of the Muslim votes.
- The Congress had emerged as a mass secular party.
- In Assam it formed a coalition government with Assam Valley Muslim Party led by Sir Muhammad Sadullah.
- Jinnah exploited the emotional campaign of ‘Islam in danger’ to gain mass Muslim support.
Activities of Congress
- The salary of the ministers was reduced from Rs.2000 to Rs.500.
- They repealed the Acts which vested emergency powers in the government.
- Removed the restrictions on the nationalist press.
- Temple entry legislation was passed.
- Police powers were curbed and reporting by CID on political speeches discontinued.