The 3^rd Round Table Conference – A Chain of Events that shaped India’s Future

— by Karishma Tolani

— Reading Time – 18 min Approx

As per Collin’s dictionary, a Round Table Conference is a gathering of experts in order to discuss a particular topic. However, as Sri M, mentions in his 2018 novel Shunya, “A healthy discussion can take place only if all sides have respect for each other’s views. Otherwise they just drive each other to their extremes and ultimately explode”. This is exactly what happened in the three Round Table Conferences that took place in India between the years 1930 and 1932 of which the 3rd round table conference is one of the utmost importance leading to the Government of India Act of 1935.

The Prelude to 3rd Round Table Conference:

The measly Montagu Chelmsford Reform, the devastating Jallianwala Bagh massacre, the Simon Commission that went against the very grain of the principle of the Round Table Conferences, the death of Lala Lajpat Rai whilst protesting against the Simon Commission, and then the still very fresh in every Indian’s mind, the Dandi March or the Salt March that lasted for 24 days –  these were all events that led up to the First and then consequentially, the Second and the Third Round Table Conferences.

However, as has been mentioned, the Simon Commission itself did not follow the code under which a Round Table Conference is held. It is a gathering of experts and each expert is viewed as equal to another; and hence, everyone’s opinion is given equal respect and value. Yet, there was not a single Indian leader in the Simon Commission. Not only that, none of the major Indian political leaders was also invited to the First Round Table Conference. Nonetheless, the intention behind the Round Table Conference was to hand over independence to the Indian leaders and to find a way to be able to do it amicably; or at least pretend to be doing it. But, it seemed like all the British Government wanted was to put an end to the Civil Disobedience Movement which was rampant across the country at the time.

The 1^st Round Table Conference – A Complete Debacle:

12^th of November, 1930 was when the First Round Table Conference was held. It had continued for over a year and had ended on 13^th January 1931. It was Ramsay MacDonald, the then Prime Minister of Britain, who initiated this Round Table Conference. At this conference, the Congress leaders who were at the forefront of the freedom movement weren’t invited. Moreover, they had been arrested and sent straight to jail for participating in the Civil Disobedience Movement.

The few prominent leaders who were present at this conference were Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, Aga Khan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Muhammad Shafi, Fazlool Haque, and Homi Mody. Other than that, the rulers of the princely states were also invited. The conference had however proved to be completely pointless without the participation of the Congress Leaders. This is when the Gandhi Irwin pact was formed.

The Gandhi-Irwin Pact: A Jolting Event in all of India’s History:

As per the pact, terms and conditions were laid down from both sides to be able to reach a middle ground. Lord Irwin had reached out to Mahatma Gandhi and asked him to attend the Second Round Table Conference. In exchange for this, the British-Indian Government would release all the political prisoners and would do away with all the decrees that had been put in place to curb the protests of Indian Freedom Fighters. The Gandhi-Irwin pact is thought of as a milestone because it was the first time that the British spoke to an Indian on equal footing.

The 2^nd Round Table Conference and the Communal Divide in India:

The huge divide between the many Indian communities was glaring in the Second Round Table Conference which took place from 7^th September 1931 to 1^st December 1931. The difference of opinion between Shri Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Shri Bhimrao Ambedkar was the primary reason that the discussion went kaput. Dr. Ambedkar wanted separate electorates for the Dalit community whilst Mahatma Gandhi was staunchly against this idea. While the British did grant the separate electorate and the communal award, Gandhiji was not happy with it and hence, he immediately started the second round of the Civil Disobedience Movement. This dissent between Dr. Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi went on for a very long time. It was resolved through the signing of the Poona Pact on September 19, 1932. A motion for a separate province of Sindh was set in 1932’s conference and at the same time, a communal award was also passed by Ramsay McDonald. As per the communal award, separate electorates were allocated to Muslims, Sikhs, Indian Christians, and Europeans. This was probably to ensure British dominance in most parts of India.

The 3^rd Round Table Conference – A Game Changer for the British as well as the Indians:

Eventually, the 3^rd Round Table Conference was then held on 17^th November 1932 and continued until 24^th December 1932. The Congress leaders did not participate in this conference either. It was impossible to conclude without the presence and input of the Congress leaders. It only led to the formation of the Government of India Act, 1935 which was based upon the Government of India Act, 1919. One of the key reasons for congress’s absence was that too many of its leaders were in jail once again, for continuing the Civil Disobedience Movement, for undertaking salt Satyagraha or any other Satyagraha, and so on.

Moreover, the Congress leaders had anyway boycotted the Third Round Table Conference because they believed it was dealing between the British Conservatives and the Indian princely states. The British Labour Party had also not attended the conference as it had changed considerably at its core. Ramsay McDonald, who was the core initiator of events had lost the support of his own party people and was no longer at the helm of things. Furthermore, Congress had demanded dominion status which was not tabled because the princes wanted a Federal Indian state.

The Congress leaders, as well as the Muslim League and the leaders of other parties, believed that India should sort its communal differences before it attended the Round Table Conference. In the absence of a consensual demand and no backing from the British with regards to a dominant status, it was only natural that Congress boycotted it.

The Government of India Act, 1935: A Complete Mockery of India’s Demands:

What did the Government of India Act, 1935 entail?

As per this act, Sindh was finally separated from the Presidency of Bombay. Bihar and Orissa were also split into two separate states. Burma was no longer to be a part of India. Aden, which remained under British rule, was also taken off the country’s map. For the first time, the act introduced direct elections.

The Congress Leaders did not appreciate the Government of India Act, 1935 as it was deemed to be full of problems. First of all, it did not have a preamble, and hence, it did not describe any intentions including that of the dominant status, very clearly. While this act was supposed to be based on the Nehru Report, it did not include a Bill of Rights. Since a federal government was accepted instead of a democracy, it was impossible to inculcate a Bill of Rights in the act. It was in many ways just a pacifier or a false equivalence of what one would call a constitution whilst the British continued to rule India.

For instance, it had safeguards that would allow the British to get involved as and when they saw fit. There were also too many safeguards. What it offered in the name of an independent constitution was just a farce, which Lord Lothian had tried to justify with the following words –

I agree with the diehards that it has been a surrender. You who are not used to any constitution cannot realize what great power you are going to wield. If you look at the constitution it looks as if all the powers are vested in the Governor-General and the Governor. But is not every power here vested in the King? Everything is done in the name of the King but does the King ever interfere? Once the power passes into the hands of the legislature, the Governor or the Governor-General is never going to interfere. . . . The Civil Service will be helpful. You too will realize this. Once a policy is laid down they will carry it out loyally and faithfully….

We could not help it. We had to fight the diehards here. You could not realize what great courage has been shown by Mr. Baldwin and Sir Samuel Hoare. We did not want to spare the diehards as we had to talk in a different language….

Additionally, the Indian Council was banned altogether and it was deemed that the Secretary of State would have a team of advisors. Add to that, the Brits did not surrender the control of both the provincial as well as legislative governments. Not only that, it formulated a separate authority to control Indian Railways.

The Congress had Rejected the Act but Borrowed Heavily from it whilst Formulating the Constitution:

The Congress was unhappy with the act and made it crystal clear to the British-Indian Government. Under the act, Congress fought and won the elections fair and square. It then set down to the task of formulating what we now know as the Constitution of India. It might surprise one to know that the constitution in place today, also borrows heavily from this act.

While those parts that encouraged the British Government to intervene or have any sort of power over the Indian constitution were done away with, the dual government system (federal and central) stayed. Additionally, panchayats and Zilla Parishads were formed. Special rights to the minorities were also an integral part of the constitution. The rights of the Governor and the Governor-Generals remained but the elected Governor or Governor-General would no longer be English.

A federal court was established in Delhi under the 1935 act, which now everyone recognizes as the Supreme Court. The system of one Chief Justice i.e. Judge and a bench of judges continues with a minor change in the number of judges. Additionally, the act paved the way for the setting up of the Reserve Bank of India. The UPSC, FPSC, etc. were also a result of this act.

Thus, one can see that, even in 2021, a large number of aspects of the Government of India Act, 1935 have been retained, one hopes, for the right kind of reasons.

Fun Fact: Dr. B. R. Ambedkar is the only Indian leader present in all three Round Table Conferences.

The outcome of the three Round Table Conferences:

The Round Table Conferences had played a huge role in Indian History and are the reason for the way we see our country today. Throughout the British Rule, it had played its part generously in making sure that the Indian Leaders had a platform to communicate with the British as equals and put forward their concerns as well as needs. However, it was the Third Round Table Conference that had finally brought our leaders the much-awaited freedom that they had been fighting for.

–– by Karishma Tolani