Nehru Report & Poorna Swaraj

Nehru Report

• An all party conference was held in 1928 with objective to frame a constitution under Motilal Nehru for India as an alternative to the Simon Commission Proposals.
• At Calcutta session in 1928 to conciliate the left wing it was announced that Jawaharlal would be the President of the next session in 1929.
• Thus Jawaharlal Nehru, son of Motilal Nehru, who presided over Congress in 1928, succeeded his father.

Recommendation

1. Dominion status for India.
2. Elections of the Central Legislature and the Provincial Legislatures on the basis of joint and mixed electorates.
3. Reservation of seats for Muslims in the Central Legislature and in provinces where they are in a minority and for the Hindus in North-West Frontier Province where they were in a minority.
4. Provision of Fundamental Rights and Universal Adult Franchise.
5. Linguistics based provinces.
6. Full protection to cultural and religious interests of Muslims.
7. Complete dissociation of state from religion.

• Jinnah proposed an amendment to the reservation of seats in the Central Legislature.
• He demanded that one-third of the seats be reserved for Muslims.
• Tej Bahadur Sapru supported him and pleaded that it would make no big difference.
• However, it was defeated in the All Party Conference.
• Later he proposed a resolution which came to be known as Jinnah’s Fourteen Points. However it was also rejected.
• Jinnah who was hailed as Ambassador of Hindu – Muslim Unity thereafter changed his stand and began to espouse the cause of a separate nation for Muslims.

Jinnah’s Demands

• Federal Constitution with residual powers to provinces. 
• One-third Muslim representation in the Central Legislature.
• Provincial autonomy. 
• Full religious freedom to all communities.
• In any cabinet at the centre or in the provinces, one third to be Muslims.
• No bill or resolution in any legislature to be passed if three fourths of a minority community consider such a bill or resolution to be against their interests
• No constitutional amendment by the centre without the concurrence of the states constituting the Indian federation.

Poorna Swaraj

• It was at the Lahore session under Jawaharlal Nehru declared that the objective of the Congress was the attainment of complete independence.
• On 31 December 1929 the tricolour flag of freedom was hoisted at the bank of river Ravi in Lahore.
• The slogan Inquilab Zindabad was raised.
• 26 January 1930 was declared as Independence Day and a pledge was taken all over the country to attain Poorna Swaraj.
• It was also announced that civil disobedience would be started under the leadership of Gandhi and boycott of Round Table Conference.

Karachi Session of the Indian National Congress, 1931

• The Karachi session held in March 1931, presided over by Sardar Valabhbhai Patel, adopted a resolution of Fundamental Rights and Duties and provided an insight into what the economic policy of an independent India. 
• In some ways, it was the manifesto of the Indian National Congress for independent India.
• Gandhian ideals and Nehru’s socialist vision also found a place in the list of rights that the Indian National Congress promised to ensure in free India.
• The Fundamental Rights, in fact, found a place in the Part III of the Constitution of India– Fundamental Rights and some of them went into Part IV, the Directive Principles of the State policy.