Poona Pact

In 1932, Poona Pact was signed between Mahatma Gandhi and B. R. Ambedkar on behalf of the poor and higher caste Hindu leaders, which provided for the reservation of electoral seats for the poor in British India's assembly. Poona pact date is September 24, 1932, it was signed in Poona's Yerwada Central Jail. 

It was signed by Ambedkar on behalf of the depressed classes, Madan Mohan Malviya on behalf of Hindus, and Gandhi as a way to end Gandhi's fast in jail in protest of British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald's decision to give depressed classes separate electorates for the election of members of provincial legislative assemblies in British India. They agreed on 148 electoral seats. Under the Poona Pact, nearly twice as many seats were designated for the depressed classes than under MacDonald's Separate Electorate. 

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The pact was signed at Poona (now Pune, Maharashtra) in response to the British government's Racial Award of August 4, 1932, which proposed that seats in India's several legislatures be allocated to various ethnicities to settle communal tensions. The idea was backed by Dalit leaders, particularly Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, who believed it would empower Dalits to promote their interests. On the other hand, Mahatma Gandhi objected to the creation of a distinct Dalit electorate from the Hindu electorate, believing that it would undermine India's fight for independence.

Positive Outcomes of Poona Pact

Ambedkar prospered from the Poona Pact in several ways. It firmly entrenched his leadership over India's downtrodden sections. He held the entire country, not just the Congress Party, morally accountable for the elevation of the poor. For the first time in history, he was able to turn the oppressed classes into a powerful political force. Ambedkar, being a realistic guy, was not seeking a flawless answer. In a 1943 speech commemorating Mahadev Govind Ranade's 101st birthday, he stated that all he desired was "some form of settlement" and that he was not "willing to wait for a perfect solution." In this attitude, he signed the Poona Pact, which saved Gandhi's and the Congress Party's lives while providing the downtrodden classes with a powerful voice.

On April 14, the 129th anniversary of his birth, we should remember Ambedkar as much for the Poona Pact as we do for the Constitution he helped create. The latter would not have been if the former had not existed.

Background of the Poona Pact

• Ramsay MacDonald, the British Prime Minister, announced the Communal Award on August 16, 1932, which established distinct electorates for the 'Depressed Classes,' Muslims, Europeans, Sikhs, Anglo-Indians, and Indian-based Christians.

• The 1932 Award was based on the idea of distinct electorates, which the British government had already implemented through the Morley-Minto Reforms (1909) and the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms (1913) (1919).

• Only members of these communities would be eligible to vote to elect a representative of the same community to legislative assemblies under a separate electorates system, in which each community was allocated several seats in the legislatures and only members of these communities would be eligible to vote to elect a representative of the same community to legislative assemblies.

• The communal prize was vehemently opposed by Mahatma Gandhi, who saw it as part of the British imperialists' ongoing efforts to split Indians into a variety of special-interest groups and undermine the national cause.

• Initially, Ambedkar supported the prize because he believed that political remedies like a separate electorate would help to raise the poor.

• After a series of talks, Gandhiji and Ambedkar agreed upon a compromise known as the Poona Pact, which eliminated separate electorates for the poor.

Features of Poona Pact

The following are the key features of the Poona Pact agreement.

• Seats from the general electorate will be allocated for the Depressed Classes.

• These seats will be elected by joint electorates, subject to the following procedure: All members of the Depressed Classes who are registered on the general electoral roll of a constituency will form an electoral college that will elect a panel of four Depressed Class candidates for each of these reserved seats using the single vote method, and the four people who receive the most votes in such primary elections will be the candidates.

• The Depressed Classes would be represented in the Central Session by 19% of the seats granted to the general electorate for British India in the stated legislature.

What were the terms of the Poona Pact?

• In the provincial assembly, seats are reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST).

• The STs and SCs would create an electoral college that would choose four candidates to represent the general electorate.

• The standards of combined electorates and reserved seats were used to represent these classes.

• In the legislature, about 19% of seats were to be designated for these groups.

• Unless it terminates on mutual terms, the system of election to the panel of candidates in both the Central and Provincial Legislatures shall come to an end after ten years.

• Reservation should continue to represent the classes as per clauses 1 and 4 unless resolved otherwise by mutual agreement between the communities.

• The Lothian Committee report should specify the franchise for these classes in the Central and Provincial Legislatures.

• There should be a balanced representation of these socioeconomic groups.

• Every province should provide sufficient educational opportunities for SCs and STs.

Why did Mahatma Gandhi go on a Fast unto death?

The British introduced 'The Communal Award' in 1932, which was seen as one of the divide-and-rule methods in India. Mahatma Gandhi recognized their action as a direct attack on Indian nationalism. As a result, Mahatma Gandhi embarked on a hunger strike, protesting the establishment of separate electorates for Dalits. Gandhi was against the British because he believed their policies would split Hindu society.

The Poona Pact changed Indian political history as well as the fate of millions of Dalits throughout the country. However, in Indian society, the caste system still has a social shame. As a result, Gandhian philosophy and Ambedkar's concept of Social Democracy are more essential than ever before in establishing a truly equal society.