The Round Table Conferences (rtcs)
The Round Table Conferences of 1930-1932 were a series of peace conferences aimed at discussing constitutional reforms in India. These conferences were organized by the British Government and Indian political personalities in response to the growing demands for Swaraj or self-rule in India. The conferences were held between November 1930 and December 1932, as per the recommendation of Muhammad Ali Jinnah to Viceroy Lord Irwin and Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald, and in response to the Simon Commission report submitted in May 1930.
Several key participants from India, including B. R. Ambedkar, Jinnah, Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru, V. S. Srinivasa Sastri, Sir Muhammad Zafrulla Khan, K. T. Paul, and Mirabehn, attended the conferences. The main topic of discussion was about the constitution and India's future.
By the 1930s, many British politicians believed that India needed to move towards dominion status. However, significant disagreements between the Indian and British political parties remained unresolved even after the three conferences. Overall, the Round Table Conferences of 1930-1932 played an important role in shaping India's political future.
First Round Table Conference:
- The first Round Table Conference took place in London between November 1930 and January 1931. It was chaired by Ramsay MacDonald.
- This conference was the first one arranged between the British and the Indians as equals.
- The Congress and some prominent business leaders refused to attend it.
- However, the Princely States, Muslim League, Justice Party, Hindu Mahasabha, and others attended it.
- The conference did not produce significant results. The British government realized the participation of the Indian National Congress was necessary in any discussion about the future of constitutional government in India.
Second Round Table Conference:
- The second Round Table Conference was held in London from September 7, 1931, to December 1, 1931. By this time, Lord Irwin had been replaced by Lord Willingdon as viceroy of India.
- The Indian National Congress nominated Gandhi as its sole representative.
- Besides the Congress, there were a large number of Indian participants. The Princely States, Muslim League, Justice Party, Hindu Mahasabha, and others also attended.
- The session got deadlocked on the question of the minorities. Separate electorates were being demanded by the Muslims, depressed classes, Christians, and Anglo-Indians.
- All these groups came together in a ‘Minorities’ Pact’. Gandhi fought desperately against this concerted move to make all constitutional progress conditional on the solving of this issue.
- The lack of agreement among the many delegate groups meant that no substantial results regarding India’s constitutional future would come out of the conference.
- Lastly, the government refused to concede the basic Indian demand of freedom. As a result, Gandhi returned to India and gave a call to resume the Civil Disobedience Movement.
Third Round Table Conference:
- During the period between November 17, 1932, and December 24, 1932, the British Government organized the third Round Table Conference. However, the Indian National Congress and Gandhi did not attend it, and it was largely ignored by other Indian leaders too. The conference was attended by representatives of princely states such as Aga Khan III, B.R. Ambedkar, Muhammad Iqbal, M.R. Jayakar, N.M. Joshi, etc.
- Like the previous two conferences, the third one also failed to achieve any significant progress. The recommendations made during the conference were published in a White Paper in March 1933 and debated in the British Parliament. Based on these recommendations, the Government of India Act 1935 was enacted.
- It's worth noting that B.R. Ambedkar attended all three round table conferences.
Mahatma Gandhi attended only the Second Round Table Conference.
All three round table conferences were attended by
Dr B.R.Ambedkar,
Tej Bahadur Sapru,
M. R. Jaykar,
N. M. Joshi,
C. N. Mudaliar