Profile
Settings
Refer your friends
Sign out
Q1. The formation of the Congress government in 1937 was a one-of-a-kind experiment in India’s freedom struggle. Discuss. (250 Words, 15 Marks)
Answer:
The 28-month congress rule established under the provisions of the GoI Act of 1935 was significant. Congress ministries attempted to implement numerous reforms in their areas of jurisdiction.
The reforms brought in with the achievements and limitations are as follows:
- Civil liberty:
- Achievements:
- Emergency powers related laws repealed. Thousands of political prisoners were released
- Restrictions and ban on press, certain books, newspapers, and illegal organizations was lifted.
- In Congress provinces, police powers were curbed and the reporting of public speeches and the shadowing of political workers by CID agents stopped.
- Limitations:
- Yusuf Meherally and S.S.Batliwala were arrested for inflammatory and seditious speeches.
- K.M.Munshi used CID against communist and leftist.
- Agrarian Reforms:
- Achievements:
- Legislations relating to land reforms, debt relief, forest grazing fee, arrears of rent, land tenure sect.
- In Bihar, Congress signed a pact with Zamindars regarding the provisions of the Tenancy Bill .
- Kisan Sabha launched number of movements at regional level to remind congress to implement Faizpur Agrarian Programme
- Limitations:
- Most of these benefits went to statutory and occupancy tenants while sub-tenants did not gain much.
- Agricultural laborers did not benefit as they had not been mobilized.
- Social welfare reforms:
- Achievements:
- Measures for welfare of Harijans taken-temple entry, education, etc.
- Encouragement was given to khadi and indigenous enterprises.
- In 1938 national planning committee was set up under Subhash Chandra Bose.
- Reforms in education, public health, sanitation as well as in prisons were undertaken.
- Economic Reforms:
- Encouragement given to indigenous enterprises
- Developed planning through the National Planning Committee
- Labour:
- Achievements:
- Goodwill sought to be created between labor and capital with mediation of ministries.
- Efforts were made to improve workers’ conditions and secure wage increases for them.
- Limitations:
- Ministries failed in Bombay as mediators.
- Leftist critics were unsatisfied.
- Ministries took recourse to section 144 and arrested the leaders.
- Congress ministries resigned in October 1939 after the outbreak of the Second World War. Indian self-government was necessary for radical social transformation. It weakened the myth that Indians were not fit to rule. It did good work with minimum financial resources.
