BACKGROUND OF PARTITION OF BENGAL

Partitioning Bengal was first considered in 1903. There were also additional proposals to separate Chittagong and the districts of Dhaka and Mymensingh from Bengal and attaching them to the province of Assam. In a similar way, Chhota Nagpur was to be incorporated with the central provinces.The government officially published the idea in January 1904, and in February, Lord Curzon made an official tour to eastern districts of Bengal to assess public opinion on the partition. He consulted with leading personalities and delivered speeches at Dhaka, Chittagong and Mymensingh explaining the government's stand on partition. The idea was opposed by Henry John Stedman Cotton, Chief Commissioner of Assam 1896-1902.

Motives behind Partiton of Bengal 1905

• The partition of Bengal,said Lord Curzon,was a "mere readjustment of administrative boundaries".The argument advanced in favour of the partition was that it would improve the administration of the two provinces.But there were some evil motives for this action.

• 1.To Strike at the roots of Bengali Nationalism:The real motive was to break "the growing solidarityof Bengali nationalism".Bengal at that time was considered to be "the nerve-centre of India nationalism". Lord Curzon decided to crush the new spirit by Dividing the politically advanced communities into separate provinces. 2.The Policy Of Divide & Rule:Another motive was to drive a wedge between the Hindus and the Muslims .In February 1904,Curzon went on a tour of East Bengal,where he addressed a number of meetings.He explained the muslims that "His object in partitioning Bengal was not only to relieve the Bengal administration,but also to create a Mohammedan province". 3.To demonstrate the strength of the British Raj:Lord Curzon was reactionary,having great dislike for democratic ideals.He believed that people of India,illiterate as the were,could have no political aspiration.

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BACKGROUND OF SIMLA DEPUTATION

• When Lord Minto was appointed as the Viceroy on India in 1905, new reforms were indicated in which the elected principle would be extended. The anti-partition agitation had convinced the Muslims of the futility of expecting any fair-play from the Hindu majority. Therefore, to safeguard their interests, the Muslim leaders drew up a plan for separate electorates for their community, and presented it to the Viceroy Lord Minto at Simla, on October 1, 1906.

IMPORTANCE OF SIMLA DEPUTATION

• The Muslim leaders argued that such measures reflected the importance of the Muslim community in Indian society. Many Muslims were major land owners and the percentage of Muslim soldiers in the British army was very high. Equally important was the fact that without Muslim's separate representatives, there was a chance of communal violence in every election.

The British acceptance showed that the attempts by Sir Syed and others to restore the relations between Muslims and the British had been successful. The British were now prepared to work with the Muslims, and even to make concessions to them.

It also showed that the Muslim community had decided to ensure that it established a secure place in the constitution by its own methods. The Hindu Muslim rivalry which existed in day-to-day life now existed in the constitution as well.

BACKGROUND OF MUSLIM LEAGUE

• Muslim rule was established across India between the 8th and the 14th centuries. The Muslim Turkic Mughal Empire ruled most of India from the early 16th century, but suffered a major decline in the 18th century. The decline of the Mughal empire and its successor states like Avadh led to a feeling of discontentment among Muslim elites . Muslims represented about 25-30% of the population of British India, and constituted the majority of the population in Baluchistan, East Bengal, Kashmir valley, North-West Frontier Province, West Punjab, and the Sindh region of the Karachi Presidency.

• In the late 19th century an Indian nationalist movement developed with the Indian National Congress being founded in 1885 as a forum, that became a political party subsequently. The Congress made no conscious efforts to enlist the Muslim community in its struggle for Indian independence. Although some Muslims were active in the Congress, majority of Muslim leaders did not trust the Hindu predominance and most of the Muslims remained reluctant to join the Congress Party.

FOUNDATION OF MUSLIM LEAGUE

• The Muslim League was founded by the admirers, companions, and followers of Aligarh Movement. The founding meeting of the League was held on 30 December 1906 at the occasion of the annual All India Muhammadan Educational Conference, at the Ahsan Manzil Palace, Shahbagh, Dhaka that was hosted by Nawab Sir Khwaja Salimullah. The meeting was attended by three thousand delegates and presided over by Nawab Waqar-ul-Mulk Kamboh. Nawab Mohsin-ul-Mulk, and Ameer Ali were also the founding fathers, who attended this meeting.

BACKGROUND OF MORLEY MINTO REFORMS

• In 1906, Lord Morley, the Secretary of State for Indian Affairs, announced in the British parliament that his government wanted to introduce new reforms for India, in which the locals were to be given more powers in legislative affairs. With this, a series of correspondences started between him and Lord Minto, the then Governor General of India. A committee was appointed by the Government of India to propose a scheme of reforms. The committee submitted its report, and after the approval of Lord Minto and Lord Morley, the Act of 1909 was passed by the British parliament. The Act of 1909 is commonly known as the Minto-Morley Reforms

ABOUT MORLEY MINTO REFORMS

• The following were the main features of the Act of 1909: • 1. The number of the members of the Legislative Council at the Center was increased from 16 to 60. • 2. The number of the members of the Provincial Legislatives was also increased. It was fixed as 50 in the provinces of

Bengal, Madras and Bombay, and for the rest of the provinces it was 30. • 3. The member of the Legislative Councils, both at the Center and in the provinces, were to be of four categories i.e. ex-

officio members (Governor General and the members of their Executive Councils), nominated official members (those nominated by the Governor General and were government officials), nominated non-official members (nominated by the Governor General but were not government officials) and elected members (elected by different categories of Indian people).

• 4. Right of separate electorate was given to the Muslims. • 5. At the Center, official members were to form the majority but in provinces non-official members would be in majority. • 6. Two Indians were nominated to the Council of the Secretary of State for Indian Affairs. • 7. The Governor General was empowered to nominate one Indian member to his Executive Council.

BACKGROUND OF LUCKNOW PACT

• When All India Muslim League came into existence, it was a moderate organization with its basic aim to establish friendly relations with the Crown. However, due to the decision of the British Government to annul the partition of Bengal, the Muslim leadership decided to change its stance. In 1913, a new group of Muslim leaders entered the folds of the Muslim League with the aim of bridging the gulf between the Muslims and the Hindus. The most prominent amongst them was Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who was already a member of Indian National Congress. The Muslim League changed its major objective and decided to join hands with the Congress in order to put pressure on the British government. Lord Chelmsford's invitation for suggestions from the Indian politicians for the post World War I reforms further helped in the development of the situation.

WHAT WAS LUCKNOW PACT??

• The main clauses of the Lucknow Pact were: 1. There shall be self-government in India.

• 2. Muslims should be given one-third representation in the central government.

• 3. There should be separate electorates for all the communities until a community demanded for joint electorates.

• 4. System of weightage should be adopted. • 5. The number of the members of Central

Legislative Council should be increased to 150.

• 6. At the provincial level, four-fifth of the members of the Legislative Councils should be elected and one-fifth should be nominated.

• 7. The strength of Provincial legislative should not be less than 125 in the major provinces and from 50 to 75 in the minor provinces.

BACKGROUND OF MONTAGUE-CHELMSFORD REFORMS

• Edwin Montague became Secretary of State for India in June 1917 after Austen Chamberlain resigned after the capture of Kut by the Turks in 1916 and the capture of an Indian army staged there. He put before the British Cabinet a proposed statement containing a phrase that he intended to work towards "the gradual development of free institutions in India with a view to ultimate self-government." Lord Curzon thought that this phrase gave too great an emphasis on working towards self-government and suggested an alternative phrase that the Government would work towards "increasing association of Indians in every branch of the administration and the gradual development of self-governing institutions with a view to the progressive realization of responsible government in India as an integral part of the British Empire." The Cabinet approved the statement with Curzon's phrase incorporated in place of Montagu's original phrase.

IMPORTANCE OF MONTAGUE-CHELMSFORD REFORMS

• During the first World War, the Congress and the League both cooperated with the British Government for they needed “Self-government” , In August 1917, the Secretary of State for India, Edwin Montagu announced in the House of Commons, “Gradual development of Self-governing institutions with a view to the progressive realisation of responsible government in India as an integral part of the British Empire”. Lord Chelmsford, the Governor-General of India said that the creation of British India as an integral part of the British Empire with Self-govrnment was the goal of the British rule. In 1916, the Indian Government sent its political recommendation to Mr. Chamberlain, the Secretary of State for India for the Indians, who did not approve it. However, the same year, M.A. Jinnah, S.N. Banerjea and Srinivasa, members Imperial Legislatiure presented their own memorandum of reforms. Gokhale had also submitted his recommendations before his death in 1915, which were published in 1917. Edwin Montagu, the Secretary of State for India toured India himself and met its political leaders.

• The Bill was introduced in the House of Common on June 2, 1919 and in the House of Lords on December 11, 1919. It passed on 18th December 1919. It was signed by the King George 5th on 23rd December 1919.

BACKGROUND OF KHILAFAT MOVEMENT

• After World War I, the Ottoman Empire faced dismemberment. Under the leadership of the Ali Brothers, Maulana Muhammad Ali and Maulana Shaukat Ali, the Muslims of South Asia launched the historic Khilafat Movement to try and save it. Mohandas Karam Chand Gandhi linked the issue of Swaraj with the Khilafat issue to associate Hindus with the movement. The ensuing movement was the first countrywide popular movement.

ABOUT KHILAFAT MOVEMENT

• The European powers had played a leading role in reducing the might of Turkey in Europe to Eastern Thrace, Constantinople and the straits in the Balkan Wars (1912-13). To seek revenge, the Turks decided to side with the Germans against the Allied Forces. The Indian Muslims supported this decision.

• Muhammad Ali argued that for Muslims to accept mandates over Iraq, Syria and Palestine would amount to a total disregard of the wishes of the Holy Prophet (S. A. W.). Thus the Muslims of India launched the Tehrik-i-Khilafat. The objectives were as follows:

• 1. To maintain the Turkish Caliphate. • 2. To protect the holy places of the Muslims. • 3. To maintain the unity of the Ottoman Empire. • There was absolute unanimity among the

Indian Muslims. Though separated from Turkey by thousands of miles, they were determined to fight Turkey's battle from India.