Consider the following assertion The genesis of political alliances based on community lay in the very nature of the Montague-Che…

Question

Consider the following assertion:

The genesis of political alliances based on community lay in the very nature of the Montague-Chelmsford Reforms, 1919.

Which of the following statements support/supports the above assertion?

1. Reforms retained and extended the principle of separate electorates.

2. Separate electorates were supposed to counter Indian nationalism, which was growing stronger.

3. Deprived classes rallied around the favours inherent in separate electorates.

1. A. 1 only
2. B. 2 and 3 only
3. C. 1 and 2 only
4. D. 1, 2 and 3 (Correct answer)

Correct Answer

Option D — D

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is Option D.

Key Points

• Explanation: All three statements support the assertion.
• Statement 1: the Montague-Chelmsford Reforms, given effect by the Government of India Act, 1919, retained separate electorates for Muslims and extended the principle to Sikhs, Anglo-Indians, Indian Christians and Europeans.
• Statement 2: separate electorates served the colonial purpose of blunting a growing Indian nationalism by splitting the electorate along communal lines.
• Statement 3: the deprived classes too came to rally around the favours that separate representation promised, further entrenching community-based political alignment.

Additional Information

• Separate electorates were first conceded to Muslims by the Morley-Minto Reforms of 1909.
• The logic culminated in the Communal Award of 1932, which extended separate electorates to the Depressed Classes and was resisted by Gandhi's fast unto death, ending in the Poona Pact.