Achievement and Significance of the Home Rule League and the Lucknow Pact

While Anglo-Indians, most of the Muslim population, and non-Brahmins from South India chose not to participate in the Home Rule campaign due to concerns that it might lead to the rule of the Hindu majority, particularly the high-caste Hindus. The Home Rule Leagues and their associated activities had several positive effects and played a crucial role in shaping the future direction of the Indian freedom struggle.

Achievement

Broaden the political base: The Home Rule League campaign aimed to promote the concept of home rule or self-government to a wider audience and attracted regions that were previously considered politically backward, like Gujarat and Sindh.

• New methods of the campaign: The campaign employed various methods to achieve its objectives, including political education, public meetings, libraries, conferences, political classes for students, newspapers, pamphlets, posters, plays, religious songs, fundraising, social work, and engagement in local government activities.
• Involvement of Prominent Leaders: The Russian Revolution of 1917 provided an unexpected boost to the Home Rule campaign, further energizing its activities. 
  • Prominent leaders like Motilal Nehru, Jawaharlal Nehru, Bhulabhai Desai, Chittaranjan Das, Madan Mohan Malaviya, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Tej Bahadur Sapru, and Lala Lajpat Rai joined the agitation, with some taking charge of local branches.

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• Shift from Elite to Masses: The movement shifted the focus of the freedom struggle from the educated elite to the masses, marking a significant departure from the approach advocated by the Moderates.
• Organizational Link Between Town and Country: The Home Rule Leagues established a vital organizational connection between urban and rural areas, which proved instrumental in the later years when the national movement truly entered its mass phase.
• Generation of Nationalists: The movement nurtured and inspired a new generation of ardent nationalists who were dedicated to the cause of Indian freedom.
• Preparation for Gandhian Politics: The Home Rule movement laid the groundwork for the masses to embrace the political strategies and methods that Mahatma Gandhi would later employ in the struggle for independence.
• Influence on Montagu’s Declaration and Reforms: The August 1917 declaration of Edwin Montagu and the Montagu-Chelmsford reforms were influenced by the Home Rule agitation, signaling that the movement had a substantial impact on government policies.
• Revival of Congress: The efforts of leaders like Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Annie Besant to facilitate a reunion between the Moderates and Extremists at the Lucknow Session of 1916 revitalized the Indian National Congress, making it an effective instrument of Indian nationalism.
• Added Urgency and Dimension: The Home Rule movement injected a sense of urgency and a new dimension into the national movement, emphasising the importance of India’s struggle for self-rule.

Lucknow Session of the Indian National Congress

The Lucknow session of the Indian National Congress, which was presided over by the Moderate leader Ambika Charan Majumdar, marked a significant moment in the history of the Congress party. It resulted in the readmission of the Extremists, led by Bal Gangadhar Tilak, back into the Congress fold. Several factors facilitated this reunion:

• Irrelevance of Old Controversies: Over time, the old controversies and divisions between the Moderates and Extremists have lost their significance. 
  • As the political landscape evolved, it became clear that these divisions were no longer relevant to the current political climate.
• Realization of Political Inactivity: Both the Moderates and the Extremists came to recognize that the split within the Congress had resulted in political inactivity and had hindered the progress of the nationalist movement. 
  • There was a shared realization that unity was essential for the advancement of their common cause.
• Efforts by Annie Besant and Tilak: Annie Besant and Bal Gangadhar Tilak played a crucial role in making vigorous efforts to bring about the reunion. To address the suspicions of the Moderates, Tilak publicly declared his support for administrative reforms rather than the overthrow of the government. 
  • He also denounced acts of violence, reassuring the Moderates about his intentions.
• The passing of Key Moderate Figures: The passing of two prominent Moderates, Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Pherozshah Mehta, who had been leading figures in the Moderate opposition to the Extremists, further facilitated the reunion. 
  • With their absence, some of the key obstacles to reconciliation were removed.

Lucknow Pact between Congress and Muslim League

A significant occurrence in Lucknow was the coming together of the Muslim League and the Indian National Congress, resulting in the submission of mutually expressed demands to the British government. This transpired at a time when the Muslim League, influenced by its more assertive and nationalist younger leaders, was drawing nearer to the objectives of the Congress and embracing a more pronounced anti-imperialist position. Several factors contributed to the Muslim League’s shift towards closer alignment with Congress’s objectives and the increasing anti-imperialist sentiment among Muslims.

• Anger over British Actions: Britain’s refusal to support Turkey in its conflicts in the Balkans and with Italy, which had significance for the Muslim world, had created resentment among Muslims.
• Annulment of Bengal Partition: The annulment of the partition of Bengal in 1911 disappointed and frustrated sections of Muslims who had originally supported the partition.
• Educational Discontent: The British government’s denial of the establishment of a university at Aligarh with the authority to affiliate colleges all over India had caused dissatisfaction among some Muslims.
• Change in Leadership: Younger members of the Muslim League were gravitating towards more assertive nationalist politics and were seeking to break away from the limited political perspective associated with the Aligarh school. 
  • The Calcutta session of the Muslim League in 1912 had committed the League to “working with other groups for a system of self-governments suited to India,” provided it did not clash with its primary objective of safeguarding the interests of Indian Muslims. 
  • This common goal of self-government brought the Muslim League closer to the Congress.
• Repression During World War I: The aggressive government repression during World War I had a significant impact on the Muslim League and its members. Publications like Maulana Azad’s “Al Hilal” and Mohammad Ali’s “Comrade” faced suppression, and leaders like the Ali brothers, Maulana Azad, and Hasrat Mohani were interned. These actions fueled anti-imperialist sentiments among the younger generation of Muslims, known as the “Young Party.”

Provisions 

While the League agreed to present joint constitutional demands with the Congress to the government, the Congress accepted the Muslim League’s position on separate electorates. Finally, the unity between the Congress and the League was brought about by the signing of the Congress-League Pact, known popularly as the Lucknow Pact. An important role in bringing the two together was played by Lokmanya Tilak and Mohammad Ali Jinnah because the two believed that India could win self-government only through Hindu-Muslim unity. The Main Clauses of the Lucknow Pact: 

1. There shall be self-government in India.
2. Muslims should be given one-third representation in the central government.
3. There should be separate electorates for all the communities until a community demands for joint electorates.
4. A system of weightage should be adopted.
5. The number of members of the Central Legislative Council should be increased to 150.
6. At the provincial level, four-fifths of the members of the Legislative Councils should be elected and one-fifth should be nominated.
7. The strength of Provincial legislation should not be less than 125 in the major provinces and from 50 to 75 in the minor provinces.
8. All members, except those nominated, were to be elected directly based on adult franchise.
9. No bill concerning a community should be passed if the bill is opposed by three-fourths of the members of that community in the Legislative Council.
10. The term of the Legislative Council should be five years.
11. Members of the Legislative Council should themselves elect their president.
12. Half of the members of the Imperial Legislative Council should be Indians.
13. The Indian Council must be abolished.
14. The salaries of the Secretary of State for Indian Affairs should be paid by the British Government and not from Indian funds.
15. Out of two Under Secretaries, one should be Indian.
16. The Executive should be separated from the Judiciary

Criticism of the Lucknow Pact

• Exclusion of Masses and Separate Electorates: It was true that the Lucknow Pact marked an important step forward in Hindu-Muslim unity. But unfortunately, it did not involve the Hindu and Muslim masses and it accepted the pernicious principle of separate electorates. 
• Sectarian Approach: Moreover, it was based on the notion of bringing together the educated Hindus and Muslims as separate political entities; in other words, without secularisation of their political outlook, which would make them realize that in politics they had no separate interests as Hindus or Muslims. 
• The Lucknow Pact, therefore, left the way open to the future resurgence of communalism in Indian politics.

Positives of the Lucknow Pact

• Addressing Minority Concerns: Despite being a controversial decision, the acceptance of the principle of separate electorates represented a serious desire to allay minority fears of majority domination. 
  • The immediate effect of the developments at Lucknow was tremendous. 

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• Political Enthusiasm: The unity between the moderate nationalists and the militant nationalists and between the National Congress and the Muslim League aroused great political enthusiasm in the country.

Conclusion 

The Home Rule movement and the Lucknow Pact were pivotal in India’s struggle for independence. By bridging gaps between different political groups and broadening participation, the movement laid a foundation for mass involvement and influenced subsequent political strategies. Despite criticisms, such as the reinforcement of separate electorates, the unity achieved through the Lucknow Pact energized the nationalist cause. Collectively, these efforts set the stage for future advancements in India’s path to self-governance.

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