In the middle of 1918 when the country was passing through its most critical period of history, Montague and Lord Chelmsford, the Viceroy, published a joint “ Report on Indian Constitutional Reforms,” which formed the basis of the Government of India Act, 1919. This Act established Legislative councils, in the Provinces with a system of dyarchy. Under this scheme anything related to “law and order” was to be administered by executive councilors responsible to the governor; nation-building departments, such as education and agriculture, were to be in the charge of ministers responsible to the Legislative Councils. But before these constitutional reforms could be implemented, the whole sub-continent experienced a political storm of unprecedented severity that was to leave its mark on all subsequent events.
The match that ignited the great conflagration was security legislation passed in 1919 and known as the Rowlatt Act, Even the Congress, in its meeting at Amritsar declared the Reforms as “inadequate, unsatisfactory and disappointing.” Montague – Chelmsford Reforms or the Act of 1919, after approval by the Government was enforced as Government of India Act, 1919 after the name of the Viceroy and Secretary of State for India. The salient features of the 1919 Reforms were as follows:
- "Bicameral legislature was established in the Centre. The Upper House was known as the Council of State and the Lower House was named as Central Legislative Assembly. The membership of the Upper House was fixed at 60 while the Lower House consisted of 146 members;
- The Upper House was elected for 5 years and the Lower House for 3 years;
- Separate electorate was retained for the Muslims;
- Self-government would be established gradually in India;
- The System of ‘Dyarchy’ was introduced at the provincial level. By this system the provincial subjects were divided into two categories as the ‘transferred subjects’ and the ‘reserved subjects.’ The transferred subjects such as Health, Commerce and Education were entrusted to the Indian Ministers who were responsible to the Council. The reserved subjects such as Law and Order, Finance, Police, Irrigation and Forests were placed under the direct control of the provincial Governors and their nominated Councilors. Under the system of Dyarchy the Governor-General could interfere in the provincial matters. This was, however, widely disliked;
- The subjects were divided between the Centre and Provinces. The central subjects were Defense, Foreign Affairs, Currency, Railways and Tele-communication. The provincial subjects included Education, Health, Irrigation and Local Government;
- The Governor-General’s Executive Council was responsible to the Secretary of State for India who sat in London".
The Governor-General retained the right to certify the legislation which he considered essential.
As a result of its victory in the elections the Congress assumed power in eight provinces. From July 1937 to October 1939, the Congress Ministries ruled eight of the 11 Indian Provinces. This period was extremely crucial in the history of Hindu-Muslim relations. The conclaves and correspondence the Quaid had with the Congress leaders such as Rajendra Prasad, Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose and Gandhi did not lead to any compromise. The Muslim Mass – Contact Campaign launched by the Congress failed miserably. The Congress Ministries in the Hindu-majority provinces invariably persecuted the Muslims. The complaints about ill-treatment, injustice and tyranny were so numerous and persistent that the Council of the Muslim League at its meeting of March 20, 1938 appointed a Special Committee, headed by Raja Syed Muhammad Mehdi, to make inquiries and submit a report.
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