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First Round Table Conference 1930: Indian Reforms, British-India Talks & Quest for Self-Rule

British-India Talks: First Round Table 1930 & Self-Rule Demands #

The Round Table Conferences were a series of three conferences held during 1930-32 by the Labour Party-led British government to discuss and implement constitutional reforms in British India. There were three such conferences. The First Round Table Conference was a significant event that took place in London in 1930 as part of the British government’s attempt to address India’s demands for self-rule.

India’s Path to Self-Rule: First Round Table Talks 1930 #

  • Certain elements of the British political establishment were increasingly calling for India to be granted dominion status.
  • In India, the freedom movement was in full swing, with Gandhi leading the campaign for Swaraj or self-rule.
  • The conferences were founded on Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s recommendation to Lord Irwin, then Viceroy of India, and James Ramsay MacDonald, then Prime Minister of Britain, as well as the Simon Commission report.
  • Indians and the British met as ‘equals’ for the first time. The first meeting took place on November 12, 1930.

Equal Talks: First Round Table 1930 Between British and Indians #

  • The first Round Table Conference was officially inaugurated by King George V on November 12, 1930, in the Royal Gallery House of Lords in London, and was chaired by Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald.
  • This was the first time the British and Indians met on equal terms.
  • The Congress and a few prominent business leaders did not attend, but many other Indian organizations were present.
Representation  Members
Indian princely states
  • The Maharaja of Alwar, the Nawab of Bhopal, the Maharaja of Bikaner, the Rana of Dholpur, the Maharaja of Nawanagar, the Maharaja of Patiala (Chancellor of the Chamber of Princes), the Maharaja of Rewa, the Chief Sahib of Sangli, Sir Prabhashankar Pattani (Bhavanagar), the Maharaja of Baroda, the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir.
Muslim League
  • Aga Khan III (leader of the 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 and A.H. Ghuznavi
Parsis
  • Phiroze Sethna, Cowasji Jehangir and Homi Mody
Liberals
  • J.N. Basu, Tej Bahadur Sapru, C.Y. Chintamani, V.S. Srinivasa Sastri and Chimanlal Harilal Setalvad
Women
  • Begum Jahanara Shahnawaz and Radhabai Subbarayan
Anglo-Indians
  • Henry Gidney
Indian Christians
  • B.Shiva Rao and K.T. Paul
Hindu Mahasabha and its

sympathisers

  • M.R. Jayakar, Diwan Bahadur Raja Narendra Nath and B.S. Moonje.
Justice Party
  • Bhaskarrao Vithojirao Jadhav, Sir A.P. Patro and Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar.
Sikhs
  • Sardar Ujjal Singh and Sardar Sampuran Singh
Europeans
  • Sir Hubert Carr, Sir Oscar
  • de Glanville (Burma), T.F. Gavin Jones, C.E. Wood (Madras)
Government of India
  • Narendra Nath Law, Bhupendra Nath Mitra, C.P. Ramaswami Iyer and M. Ramachandra Rao.

Topics at First Round Table 1930: Constitution, Minorities, Federation #

  • Provincial constitution.
  • Provinces of Sindh and NWFP.
  • Minorities.
  • Defence services.
  • Franchise.
  • Executive responsibility to the legislature.
  • Dr B R Ambedkar advocated for separate electorates for ‘untouchables’.
  • Federal structure.
  • Tej Bahadur Sapru proposed an All-India Federation. The Muslim League supported this. The princely states agreed on the condition that their internal sovereignty be preserved.

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Outcomes Of First-Round Table Conference, 1930

  • The conference resulted in little progress.
  • It was generally agreed that India would become a federation, that there would be safeguards in place for defence and finance, and that other departments would be transferred.
  • However, little was done to put these recommendations into action, and civil disobedience continued in India.
  • The First Round Table Conference was thus deemed ineffective.
  • Its main achievement was an insistence on parliamentarian’s acceptance of the federal principle by all, including the princely states—and on dominion status as the goal of constitutional development.
  • The British government eventually realized that the participation of the Indian National Congress was required in any discussion about the future of constitutional government in India.

Conclusion #

Despite its limited immediate impact, the First Round Table Conference laid the groundwork for future negotiations and discussions on constitutional reforms in India. The subsequent conferences held in 1931-1932 addressed some of the concerns raised during the First Round Table Conference and helped shape the Government of India Act of 1935.

 

ON FIRST-ROUND TABLE CONFERENCE FAQs

Q1. Who was the Prime Minister at the time of the First Round Table Conference?

Ans. The first Round Table Conference was held in London from November 12 to January 19, 1931, by Labour Prime Minister Ramsay McDonald.

Q2. During the first round table conference, who was the Viceroy of the British government?

Ans. The British government recognized that the Indian National Congress needed to be involved in determining India’s constitutional government’s future. The Viceroy, Lord Irwin, met with Gandhi to negotiate an agreement.

Q3. Did Nehru attend the Second Round Table Conference?

Ans. The Second Round Table Conference did not include Jawahar Lal Nehru. The Second Round Table Conference was held in November 1931. Pyarelal Nayyar, Sarojini Naidu, Annie Besant, Mahadan Mohan Malviya, Mahadev Desai, and B.R. Ambedkar were among the 31 delegates that attended this meeting.

Q4. When did the Gandhi-Irwin Pact come into effect?

Ans. On March 5, 1931, Mahatma Gandhi and Viceroy Lord Irwin signed the Gandhi-Irwin Pact.

Q5. What was the British white paper produced in 1933?

Ans. From November 17 to 24, 1932, London hosted the third round table meeting. In March 1933, a white paper was issued. The working principles of India’s new constitution were outlined in the white paper.

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