IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science (IOSR-JHSS) Volume 20, Issue 4, Ver. 1 (Apr. 2015), PP 33-36 e-ISSN: 2279-0837, p-ISSN: 2279-0845. www.iosrjournals.org DOI: 10.9790/0837-20413336 www.iosrjournals.org 33 | Page The Muslim Press and the Government of India Act of 1935 in Madras Presidency M.S. Fathima Begum Assistant Professor of History G.T.N Arts College, Dindigul-5, Tamil Nadu The process of framing the new constitution of India took eight long years. The first step was taken in November 1927 when the statutory commission was appointed and the last when the Royal assent was given on August 4, 1935. Briken head who took the initial steps was sceptical about reform and believed the Act of 1919 had given away too much because of the general malaise which succeeded the war. The process was initiated under the Conservative Government with Baldwin as Prime Minister and Briken head as Secretary of State, it was continued under the Labour Government. Ramsay MacDonald and Wedgwood Benn, then completed under the National government headed by Ramsay MacDonald, supported by Baldwin and Samuel Hoare. 1 The Congress considered the Mont ford reforms of 1919 to be “inadequate, unsatisfactory and disappointing”, but while urging the Government to speedily establish full responsible government based on self-determination, it resolved to work “so far as may be possible, with the aim of bringing a bout at an early date the desired type of government. The Muslims were full of resentment against the severity of the terms of the Treaty of Sevres imposed on a defeated Turkey. Gandhi espoused this cause and launched a non-violent Non- co-operation Campaign for redress of the Khilafat and to establish Swaraj. The Chauri Chaura tragedy caused Gandhi to call a halt, and the movement came to an end with his arrest in March 1922. The Simon Commission was appointed in November, 1927, two years before such a commission was due. This all-white Commission, boycotted by India on the ground of lack of any representation on it of Indians, was to inquire, “into the working of the System of government, the growth of education and the development of representative institutions and matters connected therewith”, A general hartal was observed all over the country on the day of the commission‟s landing in India. The Central Assembly was invited to form a joint committee to co-operate with the Commission, but it refused to do 80. An All Parties Conference, presided over by Dr.M.A.Ansari, was convened at Bombay on May 19, 1928 and appointed a committee under H. Motilal Nehru‟s Chairmanship to consider and determine the principles of a constitution for India. The White Paper (1933) provided from Provincial Autonomy and the constitution of a federation if a specified number of princely states needed. Instead of asking the Parliament to approve the White paper, the Government submitted it to a joint Select Committee of Parliament for consideration in consultation with Indian representatives. In 1934 the report of the joint select committee was published. The congress working committee rejected the report at its meeting on 6 December 1934. The Indian Liberals also rejected it at their session in Poona. In March 1933, a White paper gave details of the working basis of the new constitution of India. Diarchy at the centre, and Responsible government in the province. The constitution makers had two alternatives before them, 1) either to choose the course which secured the long-term interests of both India and England regardless of the illegitimate claims of the various parties and interests. 2) to adopt the immediately less troublesome course which satisfied the short-terms needs of the British investors and manufacturers. In drafting the constitution two preliminary problems had to be faced. The first was whether the constitution should consist of two separate acts, Separately passed by Parliament, one containing the immediately enforceable part, namely, that relating to the provinces, and the other to come into operation after certain conditions were fulfilled, that is after the Central Government was established, or to enact a single constitution containing both parts. The re-entry of Jinnah into Indian politics in 1934, after three years of self-imposed exile in London, had its repercussions throughout the country. Actually it filled the leadership vacuum in the Muslim League. The revived AIMC under Jinnah seems to have been very inclined to avoid a confrontation with the Congress. The Government of India Act of 1935, which envisaged provincial elections and enfranchised 14 per cent of the population of Madras presidency on the basis of income, qualification and property. In fact the Act had also set in motion an internal struggle in every political party where front rank leaders contended for party power. Party power was the key to provincial power and every leader was conscious of it. So far as the Madras Presidency was concerned diarchy was abolished. There was provincial autonomy in that the provincial government was given exclusive autonomy over provincial subjects and concurrent jurisdiction over certain other subjects.