Communal Award and Poona Pact
The Communal Award of 1932 and the Poona Pact that followed it mark a critical juncture in the constitutional and social history of colonial India, bringing the question of political representation for the depressed classes to the forefront of national politics. The episode also produced one of the most consequential confrontations between Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, resolved through Gandhi’s fast and the resulting compromise at Yerwada Central Jail, Pune.
The Communal Award (16 August 1932)
- India’s constitutional history took another dramatic turn when British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald announced the Communal Award on 16 August 1932.
- The Award apportioned political representation among various communities and, notably, extended the provision of separate electorates to the untouchables as well.
- This move was widely seen as yet another expression of the British policy of “divide and rule.”
- Muslims, Sikhs, and Christians had already been recognised as minorities entitled to separate representation; the Communal Award now additionally declared the depressed classes to be a minority, entitling them to separate electorates.
- The Award drew severe criticism from multiple quarters:
- Mahatma Gandhi strongly opposed it.
- The Akali Dal, representing the Sikh community, was also highly critical — Sikhs received only 19% reservation in Punjab, compared to 51% for Muslims and 30% for Hindus.
Congress’s Stand
- Though the Congress was opposed to the principle of separate electorates, it was unwilling to change the terms of the Communal Award without the consent of the minorities concerned.
- As a result, while strongly disagreeing with the Award, the Congress officially decided neither to accept it nor to reject it.
- The broader effort to separate the depressed classes from the rest of Hindu society by treating them as a distinct political entity was vehemently opposed by nationalists across the political spectrum.
Gandhi’s Response
- Gandhi viewed the Communal Award as an attack on Indian unity and nationalism, and as a deliberate, “sinister” attempt to divide Hindu society — since he considered the untouchables an integral part of that society.
- He believed the Award was harmful both to Hinduism and to the depressed classes themselves, as it offered no real solution to their socially degraded position.
- Gandhi argued that separate electorates would politically isolate the depressed classes and permanently block their integration into mainstream Hindu society.
- Once treated as a separate political entity, he warned, the larger goal of abolishing untouchability would itself be undermined — separate electorates, he felt, would ensure that untouchables remained untouchables in perpetuity.
- What was truly needed, he insisted, was not the “protection” of the depressed classes’ interests through separate representation, but the “root and branch” eradication of untouchability itself.
- Gandhi’s proposed alternative was for the depressed classes to be elected through joint electorates, ideally under a wider franchise via universal suffrage — while he raised no objection to a demand for a larger number of reserved seats.
- To press his demands, Gandhi undertook an indefinite fast unto death at Yerwada Central Jail, Pune, beginning 20 September 1932.
- The fast caused nationwide alarm. While some depressed-classes leaders, such as M.C. Rajah, favoured joint electorates, the most influential among them, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, viewed separate electorates as the only real hope for securing genuine political representation for the untouchables.
- Gandhi, though firmly opposed to separate electorates, was not averse to reserved seats, and Ambedkar eventually agreed to this alternative — provided the number of reserved seats for the depressed classes was increased and a two-tier election system was adopted to ensure their proper representation.
- This compromise became the basis of the Poona Pact of September 1932, which the Government subsequently accepted.
- Leaders of varied political persuasions — including B.R. Ambedkar, M.C. Rajah, and Madan Mohan Malaviya — came together to negotiate this compromise.
The Poona Pact
- The Poona Pact refers to the agreement between Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi, signed on 24 September 1932 at Yerwada Central Jail, Pune.
- The Pact was formally accepted by the Government as an amendment to the Communal Award.
Provisions of the Poona Pact
- Abandonment of separate electorates: The Pact did away with separate electorates for the depressed classes. However, the number of reserved seats for the depressed classes was increased — from 71 to 147 in the provincial legislatures, and to 18% of the total seats in the central legislature.
- Method of election: Seats were to be filled through joint electorates, subject to a specific procedure — all members of the Depressed Classes registered on the general electoral roll of a constituency would form an electoral college, which would elect a panel of four candidates for each reserved seat through a single vote; the four candidates receiving the highest votes in this primary election would then stand for election by the general electorate.
- Time-bound primary system: This system of primary elections to select a panel of candidates was to continue for the first ten years, unless terminated earlier by mutual agreement.
- Continuity of reserved seats: The system of reserving seats for the Depressed Classes would continue until otherwise determined by mutual agreement between the communities concerned.
- Franchise: The franchise for the Depressed Classes was to be as indicated in the report of the Lothian Committee (Indian Franchise Committee).
- Non-discrimination: No disabilities were to attach to any individual on account of being a member of the Depressed Classes with regard to elections to local bodies or appointment to public services; every effort was to be made to secure their fair representation in these respects.
- Educational provision: In every province, an adequate sum from the educational grant was to be earmarked specifically for providing educational facilities to members of the Depressed Classes.
