The Gandhi–Irwin Pact was a political agreement signed by

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...

and Lord Irwin, Viceroy of India, on 5 March 1931 before the Second Round Table Conference in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. The Viceroy of India, Lord Irwin, had announced in October 1929 a vague offer of ' dominion status' for

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

in an unspecified future and a Round Table Conference to discuss a future constitution. The Second Round Table Conference was held from September to December 1931 in London. This conference marked the end of the Civil Disobedience Movement in India. Gandhi and Irwin had eight meetings that totalled 24 hours. Although Gandhi was impressed by Irwin's sincerity, the terms of the pact fell manifestly short of those Gandhi had prescribed as the minimum for a truce. Gandhi managed to have over 90,000 political prisoners released under the Gandhi–Irwin Pact.

Background

The Viceroy of India, Lord Irwin, headed the repression of Indian nationalism but did not relish the role, with the British-run

Indian Civil Service The Indian Civil Service (ICS), officially known as the Imperial Civil Service, was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during British Raj, British rule in the period between 1858 and 1947. Its members ruled over more than 3 ...

and the commercial community then favouring even harsher measures. Prime Minister

Ramsay MacDonald James Ramsay MacDonald (; 12 October 18669 November 1937) was a British statesman and politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The first two of his governments belonged to the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party, where he led ...

and William Benn, His Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for India, were eager for peace if it did not weaken the position of the Labour government. As such, they wished for the success of the Round Table Conference and knew that it would carry little weight without the presence of

. In January 1931, at the closing session of the Round Table Conference,

expressed hope that the Congress would be represented at the next session. The Viceroy, taking the hint, promptly ordered the unconditional release of Gandhi and all members of the Congress Working Committee, who were imprisoned for the Civil Disobedience Movement. In response, Gandhi agreed to meet the Viceroy. This was the second high-level meeting between Gandhi and a Viceroy in 13 years and should be read in the context of the

Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms The Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms or more concisely the Mont–Ford Reforms, were introduced by the colonial government to introduce self-governing institutions gradually in British India. The reforms take their name from Edwin Montagu, the Sec ...

that were the basis of the Government of India Act, 1919.

Proposed conditions

* Discontinuation of the Salt March by the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...

* Participation by the Indian National Congress in the Second Round Table Conference * Withdrawal of all ordinances issued by the Colonial government of India imposing curbs on the activities of the Indian National Congress * Withdrawal of all prosecutions relating to several types of political offenses ( Rowlatt Act) except those involving violence * Release of prisoners arrested for participating in the Salt March; and * Removal of the tax on salt, which allowed the Indians to produce, trade, and sell salt legally and for their own private use Many British officials in India and in Britain were outraged by the idea of a pact with a party whose avowed purpose was the destruction of the British Raj.

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

publicly expressed his disgust "at the nauseating and humiliating spectacle of this one-time

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

lawyer, now seditious ''

fakir Fakir, faqeer, or faqīr (; (noun of faqr)), derived from ''faqr'' (, 'poverty'), is an Islamic term traditionally used for Sufi Muslim ascetics who renounce their worldly possessions and dedicate their lives to the worship of God. They do ...

'', striding half-naked up the steps of the Viceroy’s palace, there to negotiate and parley on equal terms with the representative of the King Emperor".

Agreed terms by Government

* Withdraw all ordinances and end prosecutions * Release all political prisoners except those guilty of violence * Permit peaceful picketing of liquor and foreign cloth shops * Restore confiscated properties of the satyagrahis * Permit free collection or manufacture of salt by persons near the sea coast * Lift the ban over the Congress

Rejected terms

* Congress' demand for inquiry on police excesses

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gandhi-Irwin Pact Indian independence movement 1931 in British India Indian documents 1931 in India 1931 documents Mahatma Gandhi March 1931 1931 in politics

Background

Proposed conditions

Agreed terms by Government

Rejected terms

See also

References