Congress Rule, 1937-39, and the Day of Deliverance

Background

In these elections Congress won only a small number of the seats reserved for Muslims, while the League’s performance was disappointing (see SLO 1.3.6). Even so, Muslims expected fairness and religious impartiality from the Congress governments. According to the League’s account, they were disappointed, and Congress underestimated the consequences of its policies, which led to Muslim alienation from the party.

Muslim grievances and their impact

The League alleged that Muslims were treated unfairly during Congress rule. The main complaints are below. Congress rejected many of these allegations.

1. Introduction of Bande Mataram

“Bande Mataram”, a nationalist song with Hindu religious imagery, was widely adopted as a national anthem in provincial assemblies, schools and other institutions. Muslims saw it as promoting the idea that they were alien to “Mother India”, and they feared that it implied the need to purify the country of Muslims. The expulsion of Muslims was not an official Congress policy, but the song’s widespread use worried and offended them.

2. The Wardha Scheme

The Wardha Scheme, an educational programme endorsed by Gandhi, was introduced in schools. It advocated Hindi as the medium of instruction, manual spinning of cotton, exclusion of religious education and, as Muslim critics claimed, students bowing to a portrait of Gandhi. Muslims, who valued religious education and ran their own schools, viewed the scheme as a diversion from their faith, since it would have prohibited religious teaching in those schools.

3. Hindrances in religious practices

During Congress rule, Muslims felt that Congress and its supporters were trying to erase their Muslim identity. According to Nigel Kelly’s History and Culture of Pakistan, the incidents of the period included:

• a ban on cow slaughter, with harsh punishment for violators;
• reports of restrictions on the Azaan (call to prayer) and attacks on mosques;
• disturbances by anti-social elements outside mosques at prayer times, which made Muslims feel insecure in practising their faith.

Muslims complained that the authorities did not intervene and that their complaints were often ignored. They also charged that during the two years of its rule Congress remained silent on deliberate anti-Muslim riots, including attacks on houses and the burning of property.

4. Other grievances raised by the League

• Congress refused to form coalition ministries with the League in provinces such as the United Provinces, unless the League merged with Congress.
• The League published its complaints in reports such as the Pirpur Report (1938) and the Shareef Report (Bihar), and in A. K. Fazlul Haq’s pamphlet Muslim Sufferings under Congress Rule (1939).

End of Congress rule

The Viceroy, Lord Linlithgow, declared India at war with Germany in September 1939 without consulting Indian leaders. In protest, the Congress ministries resigned in October-November 1939, and Congress rule ended.

Significance of the Day of Deliverance, 22 December 1939

After the Congress ministries resigned, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah called on Muslims to observe 22 December 1939 as the Day of Deliverance (Yaum-e-Najat), a day of thanksgiving for release from Congress rule. Muslims throughout India held meetings and prayers.

Conclusion

Summary table