Chapter 21 : Congress Rule in the Provinces

Formation of Ministries

Following the elections to the provincial legislative assemblies, Congress ministries were formed in specific provinces.

• Initial Ministries: Bombay, Madras, Central Provinces, Orissa, United Provinces, and Bihar.
• Later Additions: North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Assam.

Gandhi's Advice

M.K. Gandhi provided specific guidance to Congressmen regarding the assumption of power:

• Advised Congressmen to hold offices lightly and not tightly.
• Described the offices as "crowns of thorns" which were accepted only to see if they quickened the pace towards the nationalist goal.
• Urged that offices should be used in a way not expected or intended by the British.
• Urged Congressmen to prove that the Congress could rule with the least assistance from the police and the Army.

Work under Congress Ministries

The Congress ruled for 28 months in the provinces. There was great enthusiasm among the people; suppressed mass energy had got released. There was an increase in the prestige of the Congress as it had showed that it could not only lead people but could also use State power for their benefit.

• Basic Limitations: The ministries could not change the basic imperialist character of the system through their administration, nor could they introduce a radical era.

Civil Liberties

The Congress ministries took significant steps to ease curbs on civil liberties, though their record contained certain blemishes.

Agrarian Reforms

The Congress ministries managed to legislate a number of laws relating to land reforms, debt relief, forest grazing fee, arrears of rent, and land tenures. However, they could not undertake a complete overhaul of the agrarian structure (such as completely abolishing zamindari) due to 7 basic constraints:

1. Inadequate powers: The ministries lacked sufficient authority.
2. Inadequate financial resources: A lion's share of resources was appropriated by the Government of India.
3. Strategy of class adjustments: Zamindars and similar groups had to be conciliated and neutralised.
4. Constraint of time: The core logic of Congress politics was confrontation with colonialism, not cooperation.
5. Impending War: War clouds had started hovering around 1938.
6. Reactionary Second Chamber: The Legislative Council had to be conciliated as its…