Round Table Conferences and Indian Politics

The three Round Table Conferences (1930–1932) were a series of peace conferences organized by the British Government to discuss constitutional reforms in India. Conducted in London, these meetings were based on the recommendations of the Simon Commission report (1930) and aimed to address the growing political demands across the Indian subcontinent.

Origins and Political Antecedents

Viceroy Lord Irwin announced in October 1929 that a Round Table Conference would be convened in London to consider future constitutional advancement toward Dominion Status.

• The initiative stemmed from the rejection of the Simon Commission by major Indian political parties and the submission of the Nehru Report (1928).
• British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald chaired the proceedings in London.
• The Indian National Congress boycotted the first conference due to the launch of the Civil Disobedience Movement in March 1930.

Comparative Overview of the Three Conferences

The three sessions differed widely in terms of delegate composition, political climate, and overall outcomes.

First Round Table Conference (1930–1931)

King George V officially inaugurated the First Round Table Conference on November 12, 1930, at the House of Lords in London.

Participant Groups

A total of 89 delegates attended the conference, comprising 16 representatives from British political parties, 57 delegates from British India, and 16 representatives from the Princely States.

• Princely States: Represented by the Maharaja of Bikaner (Ganga Singh), Maharaja of Patiala, Nawab of Bhopal, and Sir Mirza Ismail (Dewan of Mysore).
• Muslim League: Represented by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Aga Khan III, Maulana Muhammad Ali, and Sir Muhammad Shafi.
• Hindu Mahasabha: Represented by M.R. Jayakar and B.S. Moonje.
• Liberals: Represented by Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru, C.Y. Chintamani, and Srinivasa Sastri.
• Depressed Classes: Represented by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and Rao Bahadur Srinivasan.

Outcomes and Limitations

The conference established agreement on three principle concepts: a federal system for India, executive responsibility in provincial legislatures, and the abolition of provincial dyarchy. However, without Congress representation, the practical implementation of these decisions remained unviable.

Second Round Table Conference (1931)

Following the signing of the Gandhi-Irwin Pact on March 5, 1931, the Congress suspended the Civil Disobedience Movement and agreed to participate in the second session.

Representation and Delegate Dynamics

Mahatma Gandhi served as the sole official representative of the Indian National Congress.

• Sarojini Naidu, Madan Mohan Malaviya, and Annie Besant attended as individual invited delegates.
• A. Rangaswami Iyengar and G.D. Birla accompanied Gandhi as advisors.
• Dr. B.R. Ambedkar demanded separate electorates for the Depressed Classes, which Gandhi strongly opposed on the ground that it would divide Hindu society permanently.

Deadlock and Failure

The session collapsed due to irreconcilable differences over minority representation. Non-Congress delegates, including Muslim League leaders, Depressed Class representatives, Europeans, and Anglo-Indians, formed a “Minorities Pact” demanding separate electorates. Gandhi returned to India empty-handed in December 1931 and resumed the Civil Disobedience Movement.

Third Round Table Conference (1932) and the Communal Award

The final conference took place between November and December 1932 without the participation of the Indian National Congress or the British Labour Party.

The Communal Award and Poona Pact

Between the second and third sessions, British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald announced the Communal Award on August 16, 1932.

• It extended separate electorates to Muslims, Sikhs, Europeans, Indian Christians, Anglo-Indians, and the Depressed Classes.
• In protest, Gandhi began a fast unto death at Yerwada Central Jail in Pune on September 20, 1932.
• Negotiation between Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and Congress leaders resulted in the Poona Pact on September 24, 1932.
• The Poona Pact abandoned separate electorates for Depressed Classes in exchange for an increased number of reserved seats (from 71 to 147 in provincial legislatures) within joint electorates.

White Paper of 1933 and the Government of India Act 1935

The deliberations of the three conferences were published as a White Paper in March 1933.

• A Joint Select Committee of the British Parliament, chaired by Lord Linlithgow, analyzed the White Paper and drafted a comprehensive reform bill.
• This bill received royal assent in August 1935, becoming the Government of India Act 1935.
• The Act introduced provincial autonomy, abolished provincial dyarchy, provided for a Federal Court, and proposed an All-India Federation that ultimately never materialized.

Key Historical Facts

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and Rao Bahadur Srinivasan were among the very few delegates who attended all three Round Table Conferences. Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru and M.R. Jayakar also participated in all three sessions, acting as key negotiators between the British administration and Indian political groups. Mahatma Gandhi stayed at Kingsley Hall in London’s East End during the Second Round Table Conference, declining luxury accommodation to live among working-class communities. Clement Attlee, who served on the Simon Commission, participated in the deliberations of the Round Table Conferences as a member of the Labour Party delegation. The Government of India Act 1935 derived its structural base directly from the joint reports produced during the three Round Table Conferences.