Performance and Evaluation of Congress Ministries (1937-1939): Reforms, Challenges and Resignation

Indian National Congress formed governments in 8 out of 11 provinces in British India and ruled from February 1937 to October 1939. Those were Madras, Bombay, Central Provinces, Orissa, Bihar, United Provinces, and later NWFP and Assam. The Congress Working Committee accepted the office under the act of 1935. The Congress was now to function both as a government in the provinces and as the opposition vis-a-vis the Central government where effective state power lay. It was a historically unique situation to bring about social reforms through the effective use of legislature and administration in provinces and at the same time carry on their struggle for independence and prepare the people for the next stage of mass struggle.

Attitude towards Labour

The Congress Ministries adopted a pro-labour stance in general. The basic approach was to:

• Advance workers’ interests while promoting industrial peace.
• Reduce strikes as far as possible, establish a conciliation mechanism, and advocate compulsory arbitration before resorting to strike.
• Create goodwill between labour and capital through mediation with Congress and its ministers assuming the role of intermediaries.
• Improve workers’ conditions and secure wage increases.
• Treat militant trade union protests as law and order problems and act as mediators as far as possible.

This approach became explicit through the following activities:

• The Bombay Ministry increased the wages amounting to crores of rupees, based on the Textile Enquiry Committee recommendation.
• Industrial Dispute Act: In November 1938, the government passed the Industrial Disputes Act which was based on the philosophy of ‘class collaboration and not class conflict’, as Premier B.G. Kher put it. 
  • The emphasis was on conciliation, arbitration, and negotiations rather than direct action. The main aim was to prevent lightning strikes and lockouts. 
  • Therefore, it empowered the government to refer the industrial dispute to the Court of Industrial Arbitration.
• The government set up a Labour Enquiry Committee, headed by Rajendra Prasad. Its recommendations included an increase in workers’ wages, the formation of an arbitration board, maternity benefits to women workers, recruitment of labour for all mills by an independent board, and recognition of Left-dominated Mazdoor Sabha by the employers.

However, this approach was not always successful. There were strikes against the Industrial Disputes Act in Madras. In the U.P., Kanpur was the seat of serious labour unrest as workers expected active support from the popularly elected government. Also, some Communist critics charged that the ministries were too willing to use Section 144 or force to suppress labour protests and arrest the leaders, like in Bombay.

• Nehru’s Dilemma: Nehru was unhappy about the repressive measures but supported the ministries in public to protect them from criticism. 
  • His answer was: ‘We cannot agitate against ourselves’.
• Gandhi’s Stance: Gandhi was against militant and violent methods but stood for the political education of the masses. He objected to frequent resort to colonial laws and machinery to deal with popular agitation. 
  • He felt that the popular base of Congress should not erode.

Social Welfare Reforms

The Congress Ministries undertook certain measures of social reforms and welfare.

1. Advancing Harijan Rights: Measures for the advancement of untouchables or Harijans included the passing of laws enabling Harijans to enter temples, and access to public office and facilities like wells, ponds, roads, hospitals, etc. 
2. Expanding Opportunities: The number of scholarships and freeships increased, while efforts were made to increase the number of police and other government services.
3. Congress Ministries’ Focus Areas: Attention to primary, technical, and higher education and public health and sanitation was a notable aspect of Congress Ministries. 
   1. A special focus on education for girls and Harijans was seen. 
   2. Also, basic education was introduced with an emphasis on manual and productive work.
4. Support and subsidies were given to khadi, spinning, and village industries.
5. Schemes of prison reforms undertaken.
6. Encouragement was given to indigenous expansion, as well as modern industrial ventures like automobile manufacturing.
7. The Congress Government also joined the effort to develop planning through the National Planning Committee – appointed in 1938 by Congress President Subhash Bose.

Extra-Parliamentary Mass Activity of Congress

The fundamental approach of the Congress was to maintain a continuous engagement in political activities and mobilise the public, even during phases of the national movement that weren’t characterized by mass protests. This was to be done while adhering to legal boundaries. In essence, it was an integral component of the Congress’s strategy to utilize government offices to facilitate and advance mass political involvement. It included 

• Successful Mass Mobilization in U.P.: Mass mobilization was quite successful in the U.P. which took diverse forms, from organization of Congress committees in villages to setting up congress police stations and panchayats dispensing justice.
• Congress Grievance Committees: Setting up of Congress Grievance committees to hear local grievances and reporting them back to MLAs and Ministers, while organizing mass petitions to the government.
• Launching Mass Literacy Campaigns to educate people about the workings of Ministries.

The coordination of legislative and administrative activities with popular mobilization included members from local Congress committees to the Legislative Assembly with provincial and all-India level leaders.

Evaluation

The formation of Congress ministries and the extension of civil liberties unleashed popular energies everywhere.

• Kisan sabhas, trade unions, and student and youth movements revived and grew.
• State peoples’ movements were given a fillip.
• Left parties were able to expand manifolds.
• The Communist Party was able to bring out its weekly organ, The National Front, from Bombay.
• CSP brought out The Congress Socialist and several other journals in Indian languages.

Also, many of the popular movements clashed with the Congress governments. 

• In Bombay, the AITUC, the Communists, and the followers of Dr BR Ambedkar organized a strike on 7 November 1938 against the Industrial Disputes Act which caused disorder and police firing. 
• The Madras government too adopted a strong policy towards strike which sometimes took a violent turn.
• Moreover, Congressmen like C. Rajagopalachari and K.M. Munshi did not hesitate to use their respective state apparatuses in a politically repressive manner.

Talking about the internal structure, this period of Congress ministries saw the emergence of serious weaknesses like factional strife and bickering on ideological and personal bases, bogus membership, scramble for jobs, indiscipline, and opportunism drawn by the lure of associating with a party in power. Gandhiji began to feel that ‘We seem to be weakening from within.’

However, in the balance, the administrative and legislative record was mainly positive:

1. The old contention that Indian self-government was necessary for radical social transformation was confirmed.
2. Congressmen demonstrated how the constitutional structure could be used by a movement aiming at the capture of state power to further its aims without getting co-opted.
3. Firmness in controlling communal riots. They asked district magistrates and police officers to take strong action.
4. Enhanced national consciousness and increased the area of nationalist influence, even in the bureaucracy, especially at the lower levels. It brought down the morale of the remaining bureaucracy.
5. Council work helped in neutralizing many erstwhile hostile elements like landlords etc.
6. People were able to perceive how things would be if independence was won.
7. Administrative work by Indians weakened the myth that Indians were not fit to rule.

Resignation of Congress Ministry

Congress’s Electoral Victory: The huge Congress victory in the elections aroused the hopes of the industrial working class, but the Congress’s closer ties with Indian capitalists led to an anti-labour shift in Congress attitudes. 

• The Congress has also faced a dilemma of how to react to the situation in the princely states – whether to support the Prajamandal movement or not. 

• Challenges in Princely States and Muslim League Allegations: In addition to that, it faced the allegations of atrocities by the Muslim League’s Pirpur Committee Report in 1938, in which Congress was charged with interference in religious rites, suppression of Urdu in favor of Hindi, denial of proper representation, and of Muslim oppression in the economic sphere. 
  • In the end, the Congress Ministry resigned in October 1939 in the backdrop of the Second World War outbreak. 

Conclusion

Hence, the twenty-eight-month period of Congress rule in India marked a significant era of transformation and advancement. The government enacted several crucial reforms, encompassing changes in agriculture, labor, and social welfare. These reforms brought about positive changes in the lives of countless Indians and paved the path toward Indian independence. Nonetheless, there were certain limitations to this period. The Congress government’s tenure was brief, and they operated within the constraints imposed by the British government. They not only encountered opposition from other political factions like the Muslim League and Hindu Mahasabha but also grappled with internal divisions within their organization. Despite these constraints, the Congress demonstrated the capability of Indians to govern themselves and showcased their unity in the pursuit of independence. 

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