Question

The Viceroy of India at the time of Simon Commission was ____________.
A) Lord Ripon
B) Lord Dalhousie
C) Lord Irwin
D) Lord Canning

Answer 1

Hint: The British Government appointed a seven-member statutory commission under the chairmanship of Sir John Simon. It was created in November 1927 to report on the condition of India under its new Constitution.

Complete Answer:
The Viceroy of India at the time of the Simon Commission was Lord Irwin. All the parties boycotted this commission since all the members of the commission were British. They were outraged at their exclusion. But there also were some people who supported it, like the Justice party in the south and a certain section of people led by Muhammad Shafi also supported it. Parties that boycotted the commission included the Congress party and the Muslim League.

In 1930, the commission submitted its report and recommended the abolition of dyarchy, the continuation of the communal electorate, extension of responsible government in the provinces, the establishment of a federation of British India and princely states, and so on. The British government convened three round table conferences of the representatives of the Indian Princely States, British Government, and British India to consider the proposals of the commission.

A ‘White Paper on Constitutional Reforms’ was prepared and submitted for the consideration of the Joint Select Committee of the British Parliament on the basis of these discussions. There were mass protests, black flag demonstrations, and hartals all over the country when the commission landed in February 1928. People were chanting “Simon go back”. To suppress the movement, the police resorted to lathi charges; even senior leaders like Pandit Nehru were not spared.

Thus, option (C) is correct.

Note: The recommendations of this commission, with certain changes, were incorporated in the next Government of India Act of 1935.