Scribd
Upload
19 views

Week 04 Lecture 01 Nehru report 1928

The Nehru Report, submitted on August 28, 1928, was the first major Indian attempt to draft a constitution, proposing Dominion status within the British Commonwealth and emphasizing equal rights for men and women. Key recommendations included a federal government, a Supreme Court, and a bill of rights, while facing opposition from various political factions regarding communal representation. The report sparked significant debate, leading to further demands from leaders like Jinnah and setting the stage for future political developments in India.

Uploaded by

khushboo.farid
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
19 views

Week 04 Lecture 01 Nehru report 1928

The Nehru Report, submitted on August 28, 1928, was the first major Indian attempt to draft a constitution, proposing Dominion status within the British Commonwealth and emphasizing equal rights for men and women. Key recommendations included a federal government, a Supreme Court, and a bill of rights, while facing opposition from various political factions regarding communal representation. The report sparked significant debate, leading to further demands from leaders like Jinnah and setting the stage for future political developments in India.

Uploaded by

khushboo.farid
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 8

NEHRU

REPORT 1928
INTRODUCTION
 It was submitted on August 28, 1928
 This was the first major attempt by Indians to draft a constitution for
themselves.
 Primary motive of assigning Dominion status to India within the British
Commonwealth.
 Major Components of the Report:
 1.Bill of Rights
 2.Assigning Equal rights to men & women as citizens
 3.Formation of a federal form of government with residuary powers in the hands
of the Centre
 4.Proposal for the creation of the Supreme Court
BACKGROUND
 Simon Commission 1928:
 The INC criticized the commission as the Commission had no Indian members.

 Lord Birkenhead:
 Secretary of State for India at that time.
 He challenged the Indian leaders to draft a constitution for India
 He believed that Indians could not find a common path & draft a constitution.

 All Party Conference:


 The political leaders accepted this challenge.
 An All-Party Conference was held, & a committee was appointed with the task of drafting a constitution.

 Committee or Nehru Report:


 It was headed by Motilal Nehru with Jawaharlal Nehru as the Secretary.
 Other members were Ali Imam, Tej Bahadur Sapru, Mangal Singh, M S Aney, Subhas Chandra Bose, Shuaib Qureshi & G R Pradhan.
 The draft constitution prepared by the committee was called the Nehru Committee/Report.
 The report was submitted at the Lucknow session of the all-party conference on August 28, 1928.
RECOMMENDATIONS OF
THE REPORT
 Dominion Status:
 Proposed India’s status within the British Commonwealth (like Canada, & Australia).
 Contested by leaders like Nehru & Bose, who sought full independence.

 Fundamental Rights:
 19 rights, including voting for men and women above 21 (unless disqualified).

 Equal Rights:
 Equal citizenship rights for men and women.

 Secularism:
 No state religion.

 Electoral System:
 No separate electorates for any community; just preserved minority seats.
 Reservations for Muslims at the province & Center (except in Bengal/Punjab) & non-Muslims in
NWFP.
RECOMMENDATIONS OF
REPORT
 Federal Government:
 Residual powers with the center; bicameral legislature; ministry accountable to the
legislature.
 Governor-General:
 Constitutional head appointed by the British monarch.

 Supreme Court:
 Proposal to establish a Supreme Court.

 Linguistic Provinces:
 Provinces to be formed along linguistic lines.

 Language Policy:
 Indian languages (Devanagari, Telugu, Tamil, etc.) as national languages; Usage of
English to be permitted.
NEHRU REPORT: REACTIONS
& CONTROVERSIES
 Communal Representation Debate:
• Delhi Proposals (1927) (Accepted by Congress at Madras session):
• A set of Demands was set by AIML in 1927 to address Muslim’s interests.
• M. A. Jinnah presented the proposal
• 1/3rd Muslim representation in the Central Legislature.
• Proportional Muslim representation in Punjab & Bengal.
• Creation of three Muslim-majority provinces – Sindh, Baluchistan, NWFP.

 Hindu Mahasabha’s Opposition:


• Opposed new provinces & communal representation in Bengal & Punjab.
• Demanded a strict unitary system.
NEHRU REPORT: REACTIONS
& CONTROVERSIES
 Concessions to Hindus:
• Joint electorates with Muslim reservations only where they were a minority.
• Sindh’s separation from Bombay only after Dominion Status.
• Weightage for Hindus in Sindh.

 Jinnah’s Amendments (Calcutta, 1928):


• 1/3rd Muslim representation in Central Legislature.
• Muslim reservations in Punjab & Bengal until adult suffrage.
• Residual powers to provinces, not the center.

 Jinnah’s Fourteen Points (1929):


• Rejected Nehru Report
• Setting the foundation for the League’s future demands.
Thank you for your time
and attention!

Hopefully, I will see you


in the next class. Until
then, take care, & have a
great day!

You might also like