Question

Why was the Simon Commission boycotted by the Indians?

Answer 1

Hint: Simon commission was a group of officials appointed by the British government to report on the working of the Indian constitution established by the Government of India Act of 1919.

Complete answer: Sir John Simon headed the Simon Commission; the committee consisted of seven members- four conservatives, two Labourites and one liberal.
Its composition met with a storm of criticism in India because Indians were excluded from the committee.
Some important points of the boycott of Simon commission are:
(i) At their 1927 session in Madras, the Congress Party voted to boycott the Committee.
(ii) It was also boycotted by the Muslim League led by M A Jinnah.
(iii)The Justice Party in the South, however, sided with the British government.
(iv)There were mass marches, hartals, and black flag demonstrations all over the nation when the Commission landed in India in February 1928. (v) The slogan 'Simon Go Back' was chanted by people.
(vi)In order to curb the movement, the police resorted to lathi charges. Not even senior leaders such as Pandit Nehru and Lala Lajpat Rai were spared.

Note: The reports of the Simon commission led to the Government of India Act 1935, which also formed the basis for many parts of the Indian constitution which is in use today.