Second Round Table Conference

History glossary

Topic: The National Movement: Gandhian Era · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 3 "Mahatma Gandhi and the Nationalist Movement"

Meaning

The Second Round Table Conference was a meeting held in London in late 1931 to discuss India's future constitution. Under the Gandhi–Irwin Pact, Gandhi went as the only representative of Congress. He said Congress spoke for all of India. Three groups challenged this claim:

  • the Muslim League said it spoke for Muslims;
  • the princes said they spoke for their states;
  • B.R. Ambedkar said he spoke for the lower castes.

The conference produced no result. Gandhi came home and restarted Civil Disobedience in 1932.

Example

At the conference, Ambedkar asked for separate electorates for the Depressed Classes. This meant that only lower-caste voters would elect their own representatives. Gandhi opposed this. The dispute led to his fast unto death and to the Poona Pact of September 1932, which gave reserved seats elected by all voters together.

Don't confuse with

  • First Round Table Conference (November 1930): Congress did not attend it because the Civil Disobedience Movement was still going on, so it achieved little.

Related concepts

Read more