Summary

● First Stage Debate on

(i) Constructive work on Gandhian lines.

(ii) Constitutional struggle and participation in elections.

(iii) Rejection of constructive work and constitutional struggle— continuation of CDM.

● Government of India Act, 1935

Proposed—an All India Federation; bicameral legislature at the centre; provincial autonomy; three lists for legislation—federal, provincial and concurrent.

At centre, subjects to be administered divided into reserved and transferred categories.

Provincial legislators to be directly elected.

Early 1937—elections to provincial assemblies held. Congress ministries formed in Bombay, Madras, Central Provinces, United Provinces, Bihar, Orissa, Assam and NWFP.

● Second Stage Debate

Nehru, Subhas, Congress and socialists opposed office acceptance.

Leftists proposed entry into the councils with an aim to crease deadlocks.

Gandhi, in the beginning opposed for office acceptance, but later gave his approval.

Congress sessions at Lucknow (1936) and Faizpur (1937) decided to contest elections.

Chapter 21

Congress Rule in Provinces

Congress ministries were formed in Bombay, Madras, Central Provinces, Orissa, United Provinces, Bihar and later in the NWFP and Assam also.