Round Table Conferences, Communal Award and Poona Pact
The three Round Table Conferences (1930 to 1932) failed to solve India's constitutional question, and the Communal Award led to the Poona Pact between Gandhi and Ambedkar.
The Round Table Conferences
| Conference | Date | Details |
|---|---|---|
| First | Nov 1930 to Jan 1931 | London. Opened by George V; chaired by PM Ramsay MacDonald. Congress did not attend. Jinnah, Ambedkar, Sapru, princes and others attended. |
| Second | Sept to Dec 1931 | Gandhi attended as the sole Congress representative, after the Gandhi-Irwin Pact. It failed over separate electorates for minorities. Gandhi returned empty-handed, and was arrested again (January 1932). |
| Third | Nov to Dec 1932 | Congress absent. Led to the White Paper (1933), then a Joint Parliamentary Committee and the Government of India Act 1935. |
The Communal Award (16 August 1932)
Ramsay MacDonald announced that separate electorates would be given to Muslims, Sikhs, Indian Christians, Anglo-Indians, Europeans and the Depressed Classes, as well as women and labour. The Depressed Classes thus would vote separately for their own candidates.
The Poona Pact (24 September 1932)
- Gandhi opposed separate electorates for the Depressed Classes and began a fast unto death at Yerwada Jail (from 20 September 1932).
- Dr B.R. Ambedkar and Gandhi's representatives (including Madan Mohan Malaviya and Rajendra Prasad) signed the Poona Pact.
- Terms: The Depressed Classes would have reserved seats within the general electorate (148 seats in provincial legislatures instead of 71 in the Award, and 18 per cent of seats in the Central Legislature), elected by a joint electorate through a primary election (panel of four candidates).
- Gandhi began the Harijan Sevak Sangh (September 1932), and the weekly Harijan (1933). He undertook a 21-day fast in May 1933 for self-purification.
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Prepared for exam revision from standard sources such as NCERT, Bipan Chandra, Spectrum and official records. Historians differ on some dates, figures and interpretations, so check your exam syllabus and a standard textbook. Found a mistake? Tell us.