Separate electorates for Muslims, as introduced in the Indian Councils Act of 1909, sowed the seeds of communal politics in colonial India. Examine with suitable arguments.

Answer: 

Approach to the answer: 

Recognizing the query: The question discusses how the Indian Council Act of 1909 fell short of Indian Nationalists’ goals. Here, we must first highlight the act’s salient features before breaking the statement down into two parts: how the 1909 reforms failed to provide a solution to the Indian National Congress’s demand for self-government and how the British refusal to cede power prevented the reforms from providing a solution to Indian issues.

Introduction: To begin, we can either outline the goal of the 1909 changes or begin by pointing out the act’s groundbreaking and contentious aspects.

• The Indian Councils Act of 1909, often known as the Morley-Minto reforms, was both controversial and revolutionary. It was controversial because it established separate electorates for Muslims to vote in the central council for the first time, but it was revolutionary since it expanded the legislative council’s jurisdiction and introduced a new election procedure. The rising ambitions of Indians could not be justified by the Morley-Minto reforms. 

Body: Here, we must first emphasize the Indian Council Act of 1909’s salient elements. We need to elaborate on the statement as the directive is meant to clarify. We must split the statement into the two parts listed above and provide justifications for each.

• A self-governing structure similar to that found in the other British colonies was desired by the Indian National Congress. The Indian Council Act (ICA) 1909, however, rejected the request.
• By implementing small reforms and dividing Hindus and Muslims with distinct electorates, the British sought to appease the moderates.
• The INC had hoped for provisions that would establish a responsible administration in the nation, but the British cleverly devised a scheme to elect Indian representatives to the council, which eventually led to constitutional dictatorship.
• The election process promoted by ICA 1909 was overly convoluted and created the appearance that just a small number of Indians were permitted to serve in the parliament.

In summary: We can either summarize the points made in the body of the section or explain how the 1909 legislation influenced later British regulations in India (1919 act, 1935 act, etc.).

• The goal of the 1909 reforms was to divide the nation’s nationalists and prevent unity by confusing the moderates and preventing the expansion of Indian unity through separate electorates. The people had called for self-government, but what they received was “benevolent despotism.”

Practice Question:

Question: “The Morley-Minto Reforms introduced the principle of election but failed to meet Indian aspirations.” Discuss in light of the nationalist response.

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Mains PYQs 

Question: “Analyze the impact of the Morley-Minto Reforms of 1909 on communal representation in Indian politics. How did this affect the Indian freedom struggle?”

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