Madras Presidency legislative council election, 1920
Encyclopedia
The first legislative council election to Madras Presidency
after the establishment of dyarchical
system of government by the Government of India Act, 1919
, was held in November 1920. Indian National Congress
boycotted the election due to its participation in the Non-cooperation movement
. The election occurred during the early stages of non-Brahmin movement and the major issue of the election was anti-Brahmin
ism. Justice party
won the election with no significant opposition and A. Subbarayalu Reddiar
became the first Chief Minister of the presidency.
was enacted. The Act enlarged the provincial legislative councils and increased the number of elected members more than nominated members and company officials. It introduced a system of dyarchy in the Provinces. Although this Act brought about representative Government in India, the Governor was empowered with overriding powers. It classified the subjects as belonging to either the Centre or the Provinces. The Governor General
could override any law passed by the Provincial councils. It brought about the concept of "Partial Responsible Government" in the provinces. Provincial subjects were divided into two categories - reserved and transferred. Education, Sanitation, Local self government, Agriculture and Industries were listed as the transferred subjects. Law, Finance, Revenue and Home affairs were the reserved subjects. The provincial council could decide the budget in so far it related to the transferred subjects. Executive machinery dealing with those subjects was placed under the direct control of provincial legislature. However, the provincial legislature and the ministers did not have any control over the reserved subjects, which came under the Governor and his Executive council.
had a total of 127 members in addition to the ex - officio members of the Governor's Executive Council. Out of the 127, 98 were elected from 61 constituencies of the presidency. The constituencies comprised three arbitrary divisions - 1)communal constituencies such as non-Muhammadan urban, non-Muhammadan rural, non-Brahman urban, Mohamaddan
urban, Mohamaddan rural, Indian Christian, European and Anglo-Indian 2)special constituencies such as landholders, Universities, planters and trade associations (South India Chamber of Commerce & Nattukottai Nagarathar Association) and 3) territorial constituencies. 28 of the constituencies were reserved for non-Brahmans
. 29 members were nominated, out of whom a maximum of 19 would be government officials, 5 would represent the Paraiyar
, Pallar
, Valluvar
, Mala
, Madiga
, Sakkiliar
, Thottiyar, Cheruman and Holeya
communities and 1 would represent the "backward tracts". Including the Executive Council members, the total strength of the legislature was 134.
boycotted the election due to its participation in the Non-cooperation movement
. The Hindu
reported that polling was as low as 12% in some constituencies and no constituencies reported polling higher than 25%. The city of Madras reported the highest turnout with 52% polling and Mylapore
, a traditionally a Brahman area had an even higher turnout. The turnout was varied in rural areas, impacted by rain and flooding. The average turnout was 24.9% all over the Presidency. The Madras Mail reported that the turnout was low compared to elections for British parliament, but nonetheless, an impressive demonstration of growth of political consciousness.
The Justice party claimed the support of 18 non elected members bringing up its strength to 81 in the council.
According to P. Rajaraman, the victory of the Justice party can be attributed to three factors - the election boycott of the Congress, which left the Justice party without any serious opponent, the vigorous campaign of Justice leaders and reservation of seats to non-brahman members.
invited the wealthy P. Theagaroya Chetty
, the leader of the justice party to form the government. He refused the offer as he did not like to be paid a salary from people's taxes. He recommended that A. Subbarayalu Reddiar, Ramarayaningar (Raja of Panagal) and Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu
, all Telugu
members, be made ministers. Reddiar was appointed as the Chief Minister and as the minister in charge of Education, Public works, Excise & Registration. Ramarayaningar became the minister of local self-government & Public health, while Venkata Reddy Naidu was given the Development portfolio. The ministers assumed office on 17 December 1920. Perungavur Rajagopalachari
was appointed as the President of the legislative council and Edwin Periyanayakam, Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar
& P. Subbarayan
were made council secretaries. C. P. Ramaswami Iyer was appointed as the Advocate General. The Governor's Executive Council consisted of Sir Lionel Davidson (member for Home), Sir Charles Todhunter
(Finance), Muhammad Habibullah
(Revenue) and S. Srinivasa Iyengar (Law). On 11 July 1921, Raja of Panagal took over as Chief Minister when Subbarayalu Reddiar resigned on health grounds and A. P. Patro
, an Orissa lawyer was appointed as the minister of Education. The council was dissolved at the end of its term on 11 September 1923.
(with an interlude during 1926-30). Noting the significance of its victory, the Official review of the Government of India (1921–22) said:
Some of the legislative initiatives of the first Justice Government have had a lasting impact and are still in practice in one form or another. On 16 September 1921, the Justice government passed the first communal government order (G. O. # 613), thereby becoming the first elected body in the Indian legislative history to legislate reservations
, which have since become standard policy in India. Similarly, the Madras Hindu Religious Endowment Act, introduced on 18 December 1922, brought many of the Hindu Temples under the direct control of the state government. This Act, which was eventually passed by the second Justice Government in 1925, set the precedent for several later Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment (HR & CE) Acts and the current policy of the state of Tamil Nadu
.
The Government of India Act of 1919 had restricted women from becoming legislators. The first Justice Government reversed this policy by moving a resolution in the council on 1 April 1921. The qualifications for becoming a member of the council were made gender neutral. This resolution cleared the way for Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddi
's nomination to the council in 1926, when she became the first woman to become a member of any legislature in India. The Mid-day Meal Scheme, was first introduced in 1920 by the Madras Corporation with the approval of the legislative council, as a breakfast scheme in a corporation school at Thousand Lights, Madras
. Later it was expanded to four more schools. This was the precursor to the free noon meal schemes introduced by K. Kamaraj
in 1960's and expanded by M. G. Ramachandran
in the 1980s.
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
after the establishment of dyarchical
Diarchy in Madras Presidency
Diarchy was established in Madras Presidency based on the recommendations of the Montague-Chelmsford report. Five elections were held during the period diarchy was in effect and Justice Party occupied power most of the time...
system of government by the Government of India Act, 1919
Government of India Act 1919
-See also:*British India*British Raj*History of Bangladesh*History of India*History of Pakistan*Governor-General of India*Government of India Act*India Office*Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms*Secretary of State for India...
, was held in November 1920. Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
boycotted the election due to its participation in the Non-cooperation movement
Non-cooperation movement
The non-cooperation movement was a significant phase of the Indian struggle for freedom from British rule which lasted for years. This movement, which lasted from September 1920 to February 1922 and was led by Mohandas Gandhi, and supported by the Indian National Congress. It aimed to resist...
. The election occurred during the early stages of non-Brahmin movement and the major issue of the election was anti-Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
ism. Justice party
Justice Party (India)
The Justice Party , officially known as South Indian Liberal Federation, was a political party in the Madras Presidency of British India. The party was established in 1917 by T. M. Nair and Theagaroya Chetty as a result of a series of non-Brahmin conferences and meetings in the presidency...
won the election with no significant opposition and A. Subbarayalu Reddiar
A. Subbarayalu Reddiar
Diwan Bahadur Agaram Subbarayalu Reddiar was a landlord, Justice Party leader and Chief Minister or Premier of Madras Presidency from December 17, 1920 to July 11, 1921....
became the first Chief Minister of the presidency.
Government of India Act, 1919
Based on the recommendations of the Montague-Chelmsford report, the Government of India Act of 1919Government of India Act 1919
-See also:*British India*British Raj*History of Bangladesh*History of India*History of Pakistan*Governor-General of India*Government of India Act*India Office*Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms*Secretary of State for India...
was enacted. The Act enlarged the provincial legislative councils and increased the number of elected members more than nominated members and company officials. It introduced a system of dyarchy in the Provinces. Although this Act brought about representative Government in India, the Governor was empowered with overriding powers. It classified the subjects as belonging to either the Centre or the Provinces. The Governor General
Governor-General of India
The Governor-General of India was the head of the British administration in India, and later, after Indian independence, the representative of the monarch and de facto head of state. The office was created in 1773, with the title of Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William...
could override any law passed by the Provincial councils. It brought about the concept of "Partial Responsible Government" in the provinces. Provincial subjects were divided into two categories - reserved and transferred. Education, Sanitation, Local self government, Agriculture and Industries were listed as the transferred subjects. Law, Finance, Revenue and Home affairs were the reserved subjects. The provincial council could decide the budget in so far it related to the transferred subjects. Executive machinery dealing with those subjects was placed under the direct control of provincial legislature. However, the provincial legislature and the ministers did not have any control over the reserved subjects, which came under the Governor and his Executive council.
Constituencies
The Madras Legislative CouncilMadras Legislative Council
Tamil Nadu Legislative Council is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It began its existence as Madras Legislative Council, the first provincial legislature for Madras Presidency. It was initially created as an advisory body in 1861, by the British...
had a total of 127 members in addition to the ex - officio members of the Governor's Executive Council. Out of the 127, 98 were elected from 61 constituencies of the presidency. The constituencies comprised three arbitrary divisions - 1)communal constituencies such as non-Muhammadan urban, non-Muhammadan rural, non-Brahman urban, Mohamaddan
Islam in India
Islam is the second-most practiced religion in the Republic of India after Hinduism, with more than 13.4% of the country's population ....
urban, Mohamaddan rural, Indian Christian, European and Anglo-Indian 2)special constituencies such as landholders, Universities, planters and trade associations (South India Chamber of Commerce & Nattukottai Nagarathar Association) and 3) territorial constituencies. 28 of the constituencies were reserved for non-Brahmans
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
. 29 members were nominated, out of whom a maximum of 19 would be government officials, 5 would represent the Paraiyar
Paraiyar
Paraiyar, Parayar, and Sambavar, anglicised by Europeans as Pariah are a social group found in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and in Sri Lanka . In the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, though they have been enumerated under three different caste names, they have generally been referred to as...
, Pallar
Pallar
The Pallar are a caste from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. They are mostly agriculturalists in Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka and amongst the Tamil diaspora...
, Valluvar
Valluvar
Valluvar is a caste belonging to the Hindu community in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. They are the hereditary priests preaching and practicing Astrology, Astromomy and Medicine in Tamil Nadu.They are the subset of sambavars.- Origin :...
, Mala
Mala (caste)
Mala or Malla is a social group or caste mostly from Andhra Pradesh state of India. Mala or Malla is derived from the Sanskrit word "Malla" which means wrestler. They are one of the dominant Dalit castes of Andhra the other being Madigas.They constitute around 8.5% of the total state population...
, Madiga
Madiga
Madiga is a social group or caste group of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharastra etc. found almost in all Indian states with different names. The people belonging to this community are most oppressed and exploited in the society. The term Madiga is derived from Sanskrit word Maha-Adiga which can be...
, Sakkiliar
Sakkiliar
Arunthathiyar are one of the most marginalized social groups or castes from Tamil Nadu and Arunthathiyar are one of the most marginalized [[social groups]] or castes from [[Tamil Nadu]] and...
, Thottiyar, Cheruman and Holeya
Pulayar
The Pulayar , also Pulayar, Pulaya, or Pulayas or Holeya or Cheramar, are one of the main social groups found in Kerala, Karnataka and in historical Tamil Nadu or Tamilakam.- Traditions :...
communities and 1 would represent the "backward tracts". Including the Executive Council members, the total strength of the legislature was 134.
Electorate and polling
The first general election was held during November 1920. At the time of the election, Madras presidency had a population of 40 million people. The franchise was limited based on property qualifications. 1,248,156 persons were eligible to vote, among whom 303,558 actually cast their votes. The Indian National CongressIndian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
boycotted the election due to its participation in the Non-cooperation movement
Non-cooperation movement
The non-cooperation movement was a significant phase of the Indian struggle for freedom from British rule which lasted for years. This movement, which lasted from September 1920 to February 1922 and was led by Mohandas Gandhi, and supported by the Indian National Congress. It aimed to resist...
. The Hindu
The Hindu
The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
reported that polling was as low as 12% in some constituencies and no constituencies reported polling higher than 25%. The city of Madras reported the highest turnout with 52% polling and Mylapore
Mylapore
Mylapore is a cultural hub and neighborhood in the southern part of the city of Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, India. Earlier, Mylapore used to be called Vedapuri....
, a traditionally a Brahman area had an even higher turnout. The turnout was varied in rural areas, impacted by rain and flooding. The average turnout was 24.9% all over the Presidency. The Madras Mail reported that the turnout was low compared to elections for British parliament, but nonetheless, an impressive demonstration of growth of political consciousness.
Results
In the absence of significant opposition, the Justice party was able to win 63 seats. Party wise distribution of elected and non elected members:| Party | Elected | Nominated & Ex-officio | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Justice Party Justice Party (India) The Justice Party , officially known as South Indian Liberal Federation, was a political party in the Madras Presidency of British India. The party was established in 1917 by T. M. Nair and Theagaroya Chetty as a result of a series of non-Brahmin conferences and meetings in the presidency... |
63 | 0 | 63 |
| Indian National Congress Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian... |
Did not contest | Did not contest | Did not contest |
| Independent (politician) | 18 | 0 | 18 |
| Anti-ministerial | 17 | 0 | 17 |
| Officials | 0 | 11 | 11 |
| Non-Officials | 0 | 18 | 18 |
| Total | 98 | 29 | 127 |
The Justice party claimed the support of 18 non elected members bringing up its strength to 81 in the council.
Analysis
The following table shows communal distribution of the elected and non-elected members.| Party | Elected | Nominated & Ex-officio | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brahmans Brahmin Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self... |
17 | 5 | 22 |
| non-Brahmans Brahmin Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self... |
57 | 8 | 65 |
| Depressed classes | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Mohammadans | 13 | 1 | 14 |
| Indian Christians | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| Europeans and Anglo-Indians | 6 | 9 | 15 |
| Total | 98 | 29 | 127 |
According to P. Rajaraman, the victory of the Justice party can be attributed to three factors - the election boycott of the Congress, which left the Justice party without any serious opponent, the vigorous campaign of Justice leaders and reservation of seats to non-brahman members.
Government formation
At first, Governor WillingtonFreeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon
Major Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon was a British Liberal politician and administrator who served as Governor General of Canada, the 13th since Canadian Confederation, and as Viceroy and Governor-General of India, the country's 22nd.Freeman-Thomas was born in England and...
invited the wealthy P. Theagaroya Chetty
Theagaroya Chetty
Sir Pitti Theagaraya Chetty KCSI was an eminent lawyer, industrialist and a prominent political leader from the erstwhile Madras province. He was one of the founders of the Justice Party in 1916 along with C. Natesa Mudaliar, Dr. T. M. Nair...
, the leader of the justice party to form the government. He refused the offer as he did not like to be paid a salary from people's taxes. He recommended that A. Subbarayalu Reddiar, Ramarayaningar (Raja of Panagal) and Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu
Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu
Rao Bahadur Sir Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu KCSI was an Indian lawyer, professor, politician and Justice Party leader who served as the Chief Minister of Madras Presidency from April 1, 1937 to July 14, 1937...
, all Telugu
Telugu people
The Telugu people or Telugu Prajalu are an ethnic group of India. They are the native speakers of the Telugu language, the most commonly spoken language in India after Hindi and Bengali...
members, be made ministers. Reddiar was appointed as the Chief Minister and as the minister in charge of Education, Public works, Excise & Registration. Ramarayaningar became the minister of local self-government & Public health, while Venkata Reddy Naidu was given the Development portfolio. The ministers assumed office on 17 December 1920. Perungavur Rajagopalachari
Perungavur Rajagopalachari
Diwan Bahadur Sir Perungavur Rajagopalachari, KCSI, CIE , also spelt in contemporary records as Sir P. Rajagopala Achariyar, was an Indian administrator...
was appointed as the President of the legislative council and Edwin Periyanayakam, Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar
Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar
Diwan Bahadur Sir Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar, KCSI was an Indian lawyer, politician and statesman who served as a senior leader of the Justice Party and in various administrative and bureaucratic posts in pre-independence and independent India.Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar was born on October 14, 1887 in...
& P. Subbarayan
P. Subbarayan
Paramasiva Subbarayan was an Indian politician, freedom fighter and diplomat and was the Chief Minister of Madras Presidency, India's ambassador to Indonesia and Union Minister of Transport and Communications in Jawaharlal Nehru's government. He is the father of General P. P...
were made council secretaries. C. P. Ramaswami Iyer was appointed as the Advocate General. The Governor's Executive Council consisted of Sir Lionel Davidson (member for Home), Sir Charles Todhunter
Charles Todhunter
Sir Charles George Todhunter KCSI was a New Zealand-born civil servant in British India.Todhunter was educated in England at Aldenham School and King's College, Cambridge...
(Finance), Muhammad Habibullah
Muhammad Habibullah
Nawab Khan Bahadur Sir Muhammad Habibullah KCSI KCIE was an Indian politician and administrator who served as the Dewan of Travancore from 1934 to 1936.- Early life :...
(Revenue) and S. Srinivasa Iyengar (Law). On 11 July 1921, Raja of Panagal took over as Chief Minister when Subbarayalu Reddiar resigned on health grounds and A. P. Patro
A. P. Patro
Rao Bahadur Sir Annepu Parasuramdas Patro KCIE was an Oriya politician, zamindar and education minister in the erstwhile Madras Presidency....
, an Orissa lawyer was appointed as the minister of Education. The council was dissolved at the end of its term on 11 September 1923.
Impact
The Justice party which came into existence in 1916 was able to capture power on the basis of its non-Brahmin platform. It would go on to rule Madras till it was decisively defeated by the Congress in the 1937 electionsMadras Presidency legislative assembly election, 1937
The First legislative assembly election for the Madras Presidency was held in February 1937. The Indian National Congress obtained a majority by winning 159 of 215 seats in the Legislative Assembly. This was the first electoral victory for the Congress in the presidency since elections were first...
(with an interlude during 1926-30). Noting the significance of its victory, the Official review of the Government of India (1921–22) said:
Some of the legislative initiatives of the first Justice Government have had a lasting impact and are still in practice in one form or another. On 16 September 1921, the Justice government passed the first communal government order (G. O. # 613), thereby becoming the first elected body in the Indian legislative history to legislate reservations
Reservation in India
Reservation in India is a form of affirmative action designed to improve the well being of socially backward and underrepresented communities of citizens in India. There are laws in place, wherein a certain percentage of total available slots in Jobs and Education are set aside for people from...
, which have since become standard policy in India. Similarly, the Madras Hindu Religious Endowment Act, introduced on 18 December 1922, brought many of the Hindu Temples under the direct control of the state government. This Act, which was eventually passed by the second Justice Government in 1925, set the precedent for several later Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment (HR & CE) Acts and the current policy of the state of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
.
The Government of India Act of 1919 had restricted women from becoming legislators. The first Justice Government reversed this policy by moving a resolution in the council on 1 April 1921. The qualifications for becoming a member of the council were made gender neutral. This resolution cleared the way for Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddi
Muthulakshmi Reddi
Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddi was an eminent medical practitioner, social reformer and Padma Bhushan awardee in India. She was the first women legislator in India....
's nomination to the council in 1926, when she became the first woman to become a member of any legislature in India. The Mid-day Meal Scheme, was first introduced in 1920 by the Madras Corporation with the approval of the legislative council, as a breakfast scheme in a corporation school at Thousand Lights, Madras
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
. Later it was expanded to four more schools. This was the precursor to the free noon meal schemes introduced by K. Kamaraj
K. Kamaraj
Kumarasami Kamaraj better known as K. Kamaraj was an Indian politician from Tamil Nadu widely acknowledged as the "Kingmaker" in Indian politics during the 1960s. He was the chief minister of Tamil Nadu during 1954-1963 and a Member of Parliament during 1952-1954 and 1969-1975...
in 1960's and expanded by M. G. Ramachandran
M. G. Ramachandran
Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran , popularly known by his initials , was an Indian film actor, director, producer and politician....
in the 1980s.