Communal Awards and Poona Pact

Reviewed by:

Nafeez Khan

All You Need To Know About Communal Award 1932

The Communal Award was intended to provide separate electorates in British India for the Upper Caste, Lower Caste, Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs, Indian Christians, Anglo-Indians, Europeans, and Untouchables (now known as the Dalits). The Macdonald award is another name for it. Political leaders of various persuasions, such as Madam Mohan Malviya, B.R. Ambedkar, and M.C. Raja, became active almost everywhere in India. In the end, they were able to reach an agreement known as the Poona Pact or Poona Pact 1932.

Communal Award and Poona Pact

In 1932, the Communal Award and the Poona Pact were signed. In September 1932, Dr. B R Ambedkar signed the Poona Pact on behalf of the oppressed classes. The Poona accord abolished the system of separate electorates for the poor and replaced it with a seat reservation system. The number of seats earmarked for the poor in provincial legislatures has increased from 71 to 147, with 18% of seats in the Central Assembly.

A sufficient sum was allocated as an educational grant in each province to provide educational facilities to members of the disadvantaged classes. There would be no disadvantages to being a member of the depressed classes in terms of election to local bodies or appointment to public positions. Every effort should be taken to ensure that the poor are fairly represented in these areas.

What is a Communal Award?

In August 1932, British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald launched the Communal Award to further the British goal of divide and rule. The Communal Award 1932 recognised the poor as minorities and established separate electorates for them. Muslims, Christians, and Sikhs had previously been given separate electorates by the British. This is also referred to as the Ramsay Macdonald Communal Award or Macdonald award.

Poona Pact 1932

At the Yerwada Central Jail in Pune, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi reached an agreement under this contract. And the government adds the deal to the Communal Award as an amendment.

Significance of Poona Pact

Depressed Class Representation: As part of a settlement with Mahatma Gandhi, Ambedkar agreed that depressed class candidates would be elected by a shared electorate.

In addition, nearly twice as many seats (147) in the assembly were designated for the poor than had been allotted under the Communal Award.
In addition, the Poona Pact ensured that the poor were fairly represented in the public sector, with a portion of the educational grant set aside for their uplift.

The Poona Pact was an explicit declaration by upper-class Hindus that the poor were the most discriminated members of Indian society.
It was also agreed that something substantial needed to be done in order to give the poor a political voice.
The agreement held the entire country ethically responsible for the uplift of the poor.

As a result of the concessions made in the Poona Pact, India later implemented the world's largest affirmative action programme (reservation in legislatures, public services, and educational institutions).

For the first time in Indian history, the pact turned the depressed classes into a powerful political force.

Reaction of Indian National Congress

Congress was opposed to the system of separate electorates, but it was also opposed to modifying the Communal Award without first consulting minorities. So, while the leaders of Congress were opposed to the Communal Award and vehemently disagreed with it, Congress opted neither to accept or reject it. The British move to isolate the poor classes from the rest of the Hindu people by providing separate electorates was resisted by Nationalist leaders.

Reaction of Mahatma Gandhi

The Communal Award was an attack on India's unity and against Indian nationalism, according to Mahatma Gandhi. Separate electorates, he argued, were bad to both Hinduism and the depressed classes since they gave no solution to the social difficulties that depressed class people faced. Gandhi understood that if the depressed classes were recognised as a separate political identity, the subject of untouchability's elimination would be jeopardised, and separate electorates would ensure that the depressed classes remained untouchables in perpetuity. Gandhi stated that what was required was the root and branch eradication of untouchability from India, not the protection of so-called political interests of untouchables.

Gandhi Vs. Ambedkar: Difference in Approach

Both leaders were critical of the caste system's flaws and dedicated to the upliftment of the lower castes. Both, though, take a different approach.

Ambedkar's PoV on Communal Award	Gandhi's PoV on Communal Award
Ambedkar believed that the caste system was beyond change and that it should be abolished.	Gandhi was opposed to both the caste system and the Varnashrama order. He advocated for behavioural changes in society to address the problems of the caste system.
The caste question, according to Ambedkar, is a political issue, and he desired a political solution for the upliftment of the oppressed people. Ambedkar argued that a democratic democracy would be useless if the "depressed classes" were not treated equally.	The caste issue, according to Gandhi, is a social issue. He desired to improve it through influencing people's hearts and minds.
Ambedkar advocated for a rights-based approach, whilst Gandhi advocated for religion and spirituality.	That's why Ambedkar referred to depressed classes as Dalits (to give them a political identity); on the other hand, Gandhi called depressed classes Harijan (to sensitise upper caste for the plight of depressed classes by invoking spirituality).

The Poona Pact reformed Indian political history as well as the fate of millions of Dalits throughout the country. However, in Indian society, the caste system still has a social shame. As a result, Gandhian philosophy and Ambedkar's concept of Social Democracy are more vital than ever before in establishing a truly egalitarian society.

FAQs on Communal Awards and Poona Pact

1. What was the purpose of the Communal Award?

Separate electorates for the Forward Caste, Lower Caste, Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs, Indian Christians, Anglo-Indians, Europeans, and Untouchables were established under the Communal Award in British India (now known as the Dalits). The award is also known as the 'Ramsay Macdonald Communal Award.'

2. What was the Communal Award?

The 1932 Macdonald award was based on the idea of separate electorates, which the British government had already implemented through the Morley-Minto Reforms (1909) and the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms (1913). (1919). On August 16, 1932, the Communal Award policy was announced by then British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald, which established distinct electorates for the "Depressed Classes," Muslims, Europeans, Sikhs, Anglo-Indians, and Indian-based Christians.

3. Why did Gandhi oppose the Communal Award?

Gandhi was concerned that it might lead to the disintegration of Hindu society. Gandhi, on the other hand, was adamant about giving scheduled castes their own electorates. He was concerned about internal divisions within the Congress and within Hindu society as a result of separate scheduled caste representations. Ambedkar, on the other hand, insisted on a separate electorate for scheduled castes.

4. Who signed the Poona Pact with Gandhiji?

On September 24, at 5 p.m., 23 people signed the Poona Pact. It was signed by Madan Mohan Malaviya on behalf of Hindus, Gandhi, and Ambedkar on behalf of the depressed classes.