Swaraj Party
- The suspension of the non- cooperative movement led to a split within congress in the Gaya session of the congress in December 1922.
- Leaders like Motilal Nehru and Chittranjan Das formed a separate group within the congress known as Swaraj party on 1 January 1923.
- The Swarajists wanted to contest the council elections and wreck the government from within.
- Elections to Legislative councils were held in November 1923.
- In this, the Swaraj party gained impressive successes.
- In the central legislative council Motilal Nehru became the leader of the party whereas in Bengal the party was headed by C.R.Das.
- The Swaraj party did several significant things in the Legislative council.
- It demanded the setting up of responsible government in India with the necessary changes in the government of India act of 1919.
- The party could pass important resolutions against the repressive laws of the government.
- When a committee chaired by the Home member, Alexander Muddiman considered the system of Dyarchy as proper, a resolution was passes against it in the central legislative council.
- After the passing away of C.R.Das in June 1925, the Swaraj party started weakening.
Simon commission (1927)
- The Act of 1919 included a provision for its review after a lapse of ten years.
- However, the review commission was appointed by the British government two years earlier of its schedule in 1927.
- It came to be known as Simon commission after the name of its chairman, Sir Joh Simon.
- All its seven members were Englishmen.
- As there was no Indian member in it, the commission faced a lot of criticism even before its landing in India.
- Almost all the political parties including the congress decided to oppose the commission.
- On the fateful day of 3 February 1928 when the commission reached Bombay, a general hartal was observed all over the country.
- Everywhere it was greeted with black flags and the cries of ‘Simon go back’.
- At Lahore, the students took out a large anti- Simon commission demonstration on 30 October 1928 under the leadership of Lala Lajput Rai.
- In this demonstration, Lala Lajput Rai was seriously injured in the police lathi charge and he passes away after one month.
- The report of the Simon commission was published in May 1930.
- It was stated that the constitutional experiment with Dyarchy was unsuccessful and in its place the export recommended the establishment of autonomous government.
- There is no doubt that the Simon commission’s report became the basis for enacting the government of India Act of 1935.