Consider the following statements about the issue of separate electorate during the early decades of the twentieth century in India as a means to secure adequate representation for the deprived social categories in the absence of universal adult franchise :
- 1. The All India Depressed Classes Association of M.C. Rajah was staunchly in favour of joint electorate.
- 2. The All India Depressed Classes Leaders’ Conference demanded separate electorate.
- 3. The Communal Award in September 1932 recognised the right to separate electorate for the ‘untouchables’.
Which of the statements given above are correct ?
1 and 2 only
2 and 3 only
1 and 3 only
1, 2 and 3
Answer is Right!
Answer is Wrong!
This question was previously asked in
UPSC NDA-1 – 2024
2. The All India Depressed Classes Leaders’ Conference held in 1930, presided over by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, formally demanded separate electorates for the Depressed Classes to ensure their effective representation, as he believed joint electorates would not achieve this. So, statement 2 is correct.
3. The Communal Award announced by British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald in August 1932 indeed recognized separate electorates for the ‘Untouchables’ (Depressed Classes), alongside other communities like Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Anglo-Indians, and Europeans. This award prompted Mahatma Gandhi’s fast unto death and led to the Poona Pact. So, statement 3 is correct.