- Complete Independence for India.
- Joint electorates for reservation of seats for minorities.
- Provision of fundamental rights for the people of India in the Constitution.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (b)
As an answer to Lord Birkenhead’s challenge, an All-Parties Conference met in February 1928 and appointed a sub-committee under the chairmanship of Motilal Nehru to draft a constitution. This was the first major attempt by the Indians to draft a constitutional framework for the country. The Committee included Tej Bahadur Sapru, Subhash Bose, M.S.Aney, Mangal Singh, Ali Imam, Shuaib Qureshi and G.R.Pradhan as its members. The report was finalised by August 1928.
Statement 1 is not correct: In the December 1929 session of the Congress, presided by Jawaharlal Nehru, the Congress declared “Purna Swaraj” or Complete independence as its ultimate goal. The Nehru Report confined itself to British India, as it envisaged the future link-up of British India with the princely states on a federal basis. For the dominion, it recommended:
O Dominion status on lines of self-governing dominions as the form of government desired by Indians.
O Rejection of separate electorates, instead, a demand for joint electorates with reservation of seats for Muslims at the Centre and in provinces where they were in minority (and not in those where Muslims were in majority, such as Punjab and Bengal)
in proportion to the Muslim population there with the right to contest additional seats. (Statement 2 is correct)
O Linguistic provinces.
O Nineteen fundamental rights including equal rights for women, right to form unions, and universal adult suffrage. (Statement 3 is correct)
O Responsible government at the Centre and in provinces.
O Full protection of the cultural and religious interests of Muslims.
O Complete dissociation of State from religion.
O Hindi to be made the official language of India.
Elimination Technique:
Dominion status on lines of self-governing dominions as the form of government was demanded of the Nehru report. Statement 1 is eliminated. Thus, Option (b) is the correct answer.
