Round Table Conferences (India)

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This article is about Anglo-Indian round table conferences. For Dutch-Indonesian round table
conference, see Dutch-Indonesian Round Table Conference. For other uses, see Round Table
(disambiguation).

The three Round Table Conferences of 1930–32 were a series of conferences organized by
the British Government to discuss constitutional reforms in India. They were conducted as
per the recommendation of Jinnah to Viceroy Lord Irwin and Prime Minister Ramsay
MacDonald,[1][2] and by the report submitted by the Simon Commission in May 1930.
Demands for swaraj, or self-rule, in India had been growing increasingly strong. By the
1930s, many British politicians believed that India needed to move towards dominion status.
However, there were significant disagreements between the Indian and the British political
parties that the Conferences would not resolve.

Contents
 1 First Round Table Conference (November 1930 – January 1931)
o 1.1 Participants
o 1.2 Proceedings
 2 Second Round Table Conference (September – December 1931)
o 2.1 Participants
o 2.2 Proceedings
 3 Third Round Table Conference (November – December 1932)
o 3.1 Participants
 4 References
 5 Further reading

First Round Table Conference (November 1930 – January

1931)
The Round Table Conference officially inaugurated by His Majesty George V on November
12, 1930 in Royal Gallery House of Lords at London[1] and chaired by the British Prime
Minister, Ramsay MacDonald.

The three British political parties were represented by sixteen delegates. There were fifty-
eight political leaders from British India and sixteen delegates from the princely states. In
total 74 delegates from India attended the Conference. However, the Indian National
Congress, along with Indian business leaders, kept away from the conference. Many of them
were in jail for their participation in Civil Disobedience Movement.[3]

Participants

 British Representatives:
 o Labour: Ramsay Macdonald, Lord Sankey, Wedgwood Benn, Arthur
Henderson, J. H. Thomas, William Jowitt, Hastings Lees-Smith, Earl Russell
o Conservative: Earl Peel, Marquess of Zetland, Samuel Hoare, Oliver Stanley
o Liberal: Marquess of Reading, Marquess of Lothian, Sir Robert Hamilton,
Isaac Foot
 Indian States' Representatives: Maharaja of Alwar, Maharaja of Baroda, Nawab of
Bhopal, Maharaja of Bikaner, Rana of Dholpur, Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir,
Maharaja of Nawanagar, Maharaja of Patiala (Chancellor of the Chamber of Princes),
Maharaja of Rewa, Chief Sahib of Sangli, Sir Prabhashankar Pattani (Bhavnagar),
Manubhai Mehta (Baroda), Sardar Sahibzada Sultan Ahmed Khan (Gwalior), Akbar
Hydari (Hyderabad), Mirza Ismail (Mysore), Col. Kailas Narain Haksar (Jammu and
Kashmir)
 British-Indian Representatives:
o Muslim League: Aga Khan III (leader of British-Indian delegation), Maulana
Mohammad Ali Jauhar, Muhammad Shafi, Muhammad Ali Jinnah,
Muhammad Zafarullah Khan, A. K. Fazlul Huq, Hafiz Ghulam Hussain
Hidayat Ullah, Dr. Shafa'at Ahmad Khan, Raja Sher Muhammad Khan of
Domeli, A. H. Ghuznavi [4]
o Hindus: B. S. Moonje, M. R. Jayakar, Diwan Bahadur Raja Narendra Nath
o Liberals: J. N. Basu, Tej Bahadur Sapru, C. Y. Chintamani, V. S. Srinivasa
Sastri, Chimanlal Harilal Setalvad
o Justice Party: Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar, Bhaskarrao Vithojirao Jadhav, Sir
A. P. Patro
o Depressed Classes: B. R. Ambedkar, Rettamalai Srinivasan
o Sikhs: Sardar Ujjal Singh, Sardar Sampuran Singh
o Parsis: Phiroze Sethna, Cowasji Jehangir, Homi Mody
o Indian Christians: K. T. Paul
o Europeans: Sir Hubert Carr, Sir Oscar de Glanville (Burma), T. F. Gavin
Jones, C. E. Wood (Madras)
o Anglo-Indians: Henry Gidney
o Women: Begum Jahanara Shahnawaz, Radhabai Subbarayan
o Landlords: Maharaja Kameshwar Singh of Darbhanga (Bihar), Muhammad
Ahmad Said Khan Chhatari (United Provinces), Raja of Parlekhmundi
(Orissa), Provash Chandra Mitter
o Labour: N. M. Joshi, B. Shiva Rao
o Universities: Syed Sultan Ahmed, Bisheshwar Dayal Seth,
o Burma: U Aung Thin, Ba U, M. M. Ohn Ghine
o Sindh: Shah Nawaz Bhutto, Ghulam Hussain Hidayatullah
o Other Provinces: Chandradhar Barua (Assam), Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum
(NWFP), S. B. Tambe (Central Provinces)
o Government of India: Narendra Nath Law, Bhupendra Nath Mitra, C. P.
Ramaswami Iyer, M. Ramachandra Rao
 Officials attending in consultative capacity: W. M. Hailey, C. A. Innes, A. C.
MacWatters, H. G. Haig, L. W. Reynolds
 Indian States Delegation Staff:
o Hyderabad: Sir Richard Chenevix-Trench, Nawab Mahdi Yar Jung, Ahmed
Hussain, Nawab Sir Amin Jung Bahadur, Sir Reginald Glancy
o South Indian States: T. Raghavaiah
 o Baroda: V. T. Krishnamachari
o Alwar: Fateh Naseeb Khan
o Orissa States: K. C. Neogy
o Nominated by the Chamber of Princes Special Organisation: L. F. Rushbrook
Williams, Qazi Ali Haidar Abbasi, Jarmani Dass, A. B. Latthe, D. A. Surve
 Secretariats: S. K. Brown, V. Dawson, K. S. Fitze, W. H. Lewis, R. J. Stopford, J.
Coatman, Marmaduke Pickthall, K. M. Panikkar, N. S. Subba Rao, Geoffrey Corbett,
A. Latifi, Girija Shankar Bajpai
 Secretariat-General: R. H. A. Carter, Mian Abdul Aziz, W. D. Croft, G. E. J. Gent,
B. G. Holdsworth, R. F. Mudie, G. S. Rajadhya

Proceedings

The conference started with 6 plenary meetings where delegates put forward their issues 9
sub committees were formed to deal with several different matters including federal
structure, provincial constitution, province of Sindh and NWFP, defense services and
minorities e.t.c.[4] These were followed by discussions on the reports of the sub-committees
on Federal Structure, Provincial Constitution, Minorities, Burma, North West Frontier
Province, Franchise, Defense services and Sindh. These were followed by 2 more plenary
meetings and a final concluding session.[3] It was difficult for progress to be made in the
absence of the Indian National Congress but some advances were made.

The idea of an All-India Federation was moved to the centre of discussion by Tej Bahadur
Sapru.[5] All the groups attending the conference supported this concept. The princely states
agreed to the proposed federation provided that their internal sovereignty was guaranteed.
The Muslim League also supported the federation as it had always been opposed to a strong
Centre. The British agreed that representative government should be introduced on provincial
level.

Other important discussions were the responsibility of the executive to the legislature and a
separate electorate for the so-called Untouchables as demanded by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.

Second Round Table Conference (September – December

1931)
The Congress had boycotted the first conference was requested to come to a settlement by
Sapru, M. R. Jayakar and V. S. Srinivasa Sastri. A settlement between Mahatma Gandhi and
Viceroy Lord Irwin known as the Gandhi–Irwin Pact was reached and Gandhi was appointed
as the sole representative of the Congress to the second Round Table Conference. By this
time, there was a coalition Government in Britain with a Conservative majority. It was held
in London in September 1931. The discussion led to the passing of the Government Of India
act of 1935.

Participants
[6]

 British Representatives:
 o Labour: Ramsay Macdonald, Wedgwood Benn, Arthur Henderson, William
Jowitt, Hastings Lees-Smith, F. W.hick-Lawrence, Lord Sankey, Lord Snell, J.
H. Thomas
o Conservative: Viscount Hailsham, Samuel Hoare, Earl Peel, Oliver Stanley,
Marquess of Zetland
o Scottish Unionist: Walter Elliot
o Liberal: Isaac Foot, Henry Graham White, Robert Hamilton, Marquess of
Lothian, Marquess of Reading,
 Indian States' Representatives: Maharaja of Alwar, Maharaja of Baroda, Nawab of
Bhopal, Maharaja of Bikaner, Maharao of Kutch, Rana of Dholpur, Maharaja of
Indore, Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, Maharaja of Kapurthala, Maharaja of
Nawanagar, Maharaja of Patiala, Maharaja of Rewa, Chief Sahib of Sangli, Raja of
Korea, Raja of Sarila, Sir Prabhashankar Pattani (Bhavnagar), Manubhai Mehta
(Baroda), Sardar Sahibzada Sultan Ahmed Khan (Gwalior), Sir Muhammad Akbar
Hydari (Hyderabad), Mirza Ismail (Mysore), Col. K.N. Haksar (Jammu and Kashmir),
T. Raghavaiah (Travancore), Liaqat Hayat Khan (Patiala)
 British-Indian Representatives:
o Government of India: C. P. Ramaswami Iyer, Narendra Nath Law, M.
Ramachandra Rao
o Indian National Congress: Mahatma Gandhi, A. Rangaswami Iyengar, Madan
Mohan Malaviya
o Muslims: Aga Khan III, Maulana Shaukat Ali, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, A. K.
Fazlul Huq, Muhammad Iqbal, Muhammad Shafi, Muhammad Zafarullah
Khan, Syed Ali Imam, Maulvi Muhammad Shafi Daudi, Raja Sher
Muhammad Khan of Domeli, A. H. Ghuznavi, Hafiz Hidayat Hussain, Sayed
Muhammad Padshah Saheb Bahadur, Dr. Shafa'at Ahmad Khan, Jamal
Muhammad, khaja Mian Rowther, Nawab Sahibzada Sayed Muhammad Mehr
Shah
o Hindus: M. R. Jayakar, B. S. Moonje, Diwan Bahadur Raja Narendra Nath
o Liberals: J. N. Basu, C. Y. Chintamani, Tej Bahadur Sapru, V. S. Srinivasa
Sastri, Chimanlal Harilal Setalvad
o Justice Party: Raja of Bobbili, Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar, Sir A. P. Patro,
Bhaskarrao Vithojirao Jadhav
o Depressed Classes: B. R. Ambedkar, Rettamalai Srinivasan,
o Sikhs: Sardar Ujjal Singh, Sardar Sampuran Singh
o Parsis: Cowasji Jehangir, Homi Mody, Phiroze Sethna
o Indian Christians: Surendra Kumar Datta, A. T. Pannirselvam
o Europeans: E. C. Benthall, Sir Hubert Carr, T. F. Gavin Jones, C. E. Wood
(Madras)
o Anglo-Indians: Henry Gidney
o Women: Sarojini Naidu, Begum Jahanara Shahnawaz, Radhabai Subbarayan
o Landlords: Muhammad Ahmad Said Khan Chhatari (United Provinces),
Kameshwar Singh of Darbhanga (Bihar), Raja of Parlakimedi (Orissa), Sir
Provash Chandra Mitter
o Industry: Ghanshyam Das Birla, Sir Purshottamdas Thakurdas, Maneckji
Dadabhoy
o Labour: N. M. Joshi, B. Shiva Rao, V. V. Giri
o Universities: Syed Sultan Ahmed, Bisheshwar Dayal Seth
 o Burma: Sir Padamji Ginwala
o Sindh: Shah Nawaz Bhutto, Ghulam Hussain Hidayatullah
o Other Provinces: Chandradhar Barua (Assam), Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum
(NWFP), S. B. Tambe (Central Provinces)
 Indian States Delegation Staff: V. T. Krishnamachari (Baroda), Richard Chenevix-
Trench (Hyderabad), Nawab Mahdi Yar Jung (Hyderabad), S. M. Bapna (Indore),
Amar Nath Atal (Jaipur), J. W. Young (Jodhpur), Ram Chandra Kak (Jammu and
Kashmir), Sahibzada Abdus Samad Khan (Rampur), K. C. Neogy (Orissa states), L.
F. Rushbrook Williams, Jarmani Dass, Muhammad Saleh Akbar Hydari, K. M.
Panikkar, N. Madhava Rao
 British Delegation Staff: H. G. Haig, V. Dawson, K. S. Fitze, J. G. Laithwaite, W. H.
Lewis, P. J. Patrick, J. Coatman, G. T. Garratt, R. J. Stopford
 British Indian Delegation Staff: Geoffrey Corbett, A. Latifi, Girija Shankar Bajpai,
Benegal Rama Rau, Syed Amjad Ali, Prince Aly Khan, A. M. Chaudhury, Mahadev
Desai, Govind Malaviya, K. T. Shah, P. Sinha
 Secretariat-General: R. H. A. Carter, K. Anderson, C. D. Deshmukh, J. M. Sladen,
Hugh MacGregor, G. F. Steward, A. H. Joyce, Syed Amjad Ali, Ram Babu Saksena

Proceedings

The second session opened on September 7, 1931. There were three major differences
between the first and second Round Table Conferences. By the second:

The Second Round Table Conference (September 7, 1931)

 Congress Representation — The Gandhi-Irwin Pact opened the way for Congress
participation in this conference. Mahatma Gandhi was invited from India and attended
as the sole official Congress representative accompanied by Sarojini Naidu and also
Madan Mohan Malaviya, Ghanshyam Das Birla, Muhammad Iqbal, Sir Mirza Ismail
(Diwan of Mysore), S.K. Dutta and Sir Syed Ali Imam. Gandhi claimed that the
Congress alone represented political India; that the Untouchables were Hindus and
should not be treated as a “minority”; and that there should be no separate electorates
or special safeguards for Muslims or other minorities. These claims were rejected by
the other Indian participants. According to this pact, Gandhi was asked to call off the
Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) and if he did so the prisoners of the British
government would be freed excepting the criminal prisoners, i.e. those who had killed
British officials. He returned to India, disappointed with the results and empty-
handed.
 National Government — two weeks earlier the Labour government in London had
fallen. Ramsay MacDonald now headed a National Government dominated by the
Conservative Party.
  Financial Crisis – During the conference, Britain went off the Gold Standard further
distracting the National Government.

During the Conference, Gandhi could not reach agreement with the Muslims on Muslim
representation and safeguards. At the end of the conference Ramsay MacDonald undertook to
produce a Communal Award for minority representation, with the provision that any free
agreement between the parties could be substituted for his award.

Gandhi took particular exception to the treatment of untouchables as a minority separate from
the rest of the Hindu community. He clashed with the leader of depressed classes, Dr.B. R.
Ambedkar, over this issue: the two eventually resolved the situation with the Poona Pact of
1932.

Third Round Table Conference (November – December

1932)
The third and last session assembled on November 17, 1932. Only forty-six delegates
attended since most of the main political figures of India were not present. The Labour Party
from Britain and the Indian National Congress refused to attend.

From September 1931 until March 1933, under the supervision of the Secretary of State for
India, Sir Samuel Hoare, the proposed reforms took the form reflected in the Government of
India Act 1935.