The Indian National Congress (INC) and the All India Muslim League
- The Indian National Congress (INC), founded in 1885, evolved from a forum for dialogue into the leading nationalist movement.
- Under leaders like Gandhi and Nehru, it became a mass-based organization advocating non-violent resistance and self-rule.
- The All India Muslim League, established in 1906, initially sought to protect Muslim interests within a united India.
- By the 1930s, under Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the League increasingly demanded a separate Muslim homeland.
- Tensions between the INC and the Muslim League reflected growing religious and political divisions.
Definition
Communalism
- Political mobilization based on religious or ethnic identity, often causing division.
Definition
Nationalism
- The belief that a people sharing common history, culture, or identity should govern themselves.
The Indian National Congress and the All India Muslim League
Cooperation and Early Unity
- Both groups initially supported constitutional reform and Indian representation within the British Empire.
- The Lucknow Pact (1916) marked a brief period of Hindu-Muslim cooperation, agreeing on joint constitutional demands.
- Shared opposition to the Rowlatt Acts (1919) and the Amritsar Massacre temporarily strengthened unity.
- Many Muslims supported Gandhi’s Khilafat Movement (1919–1924), which defended the Ottoman Caliphate and aligned with INC protests.
- Cooperation declined as religious concerns and political rivalries resurfaced in the 1920s.
Division and Polarization
- The INC’s broad agenda often failed to address Muslim political and cultural concerns, alienating the League.
- The Nehru Report (1928) ignored Muslim demands for separate electorates, which Jinnah rejected.
- The League redefined its mission, culminating in the Lahore Resolution (1940), which called for independent Muslim states.
- The INC’s victories in the 1937 provincial elections deepened Muslim fears of Hindu dominance.
- This polarization paved the way for the Partition of India in 1947.
