Emergency Rule in Tamil Nadu from 1920 to 1947
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
International Journal of Research ISSN NO:2236-6124 Emergency Rule in Tamil Nadu from 1920 to 1947 R. GANTHIMATHI Ph.D. Research Scholar(Reg. No.11258) Post Graduate and Research Department of History, Women’s Christian College, Nagercoil – 629 001. Affiliated to Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Abishekapatti, Tirunelveli – 627 012, Tamil Nadu, India. Abstract The Government of India Act of 1919 had enlarged the Madras Legislature from 50 to 132. While 70 percent of the members of Legislative Council were elected, 30 percent were nominated. The electorate was restricted and there was no universal adult sufferage. The duration of the council became three years and powers of legislators were improved. It introduced direct election. Dyarchy or dual government was introduced in the province. It means rule by two authorities – British and Indians. This paper seeks to highlight the Emergency rule in Tamil Nadu during the period 1920-1947. Key Words:Congress, Tamil Nadu, Policies, Election, Disintegration, Council, Coalition. INTRODUCTION Provincial Legislative Council was established by the Indian Council Act of 1861. In the provincial councils, less than six and not more than twelve members could be nominated. Half of them should be non-official. By appointing non-officials, the system of indirect election was introduced by this Act. By the Indian Councils Act of 1892, the nominated members should be not less than sixteen and not more than twenty. Further the Indian Councils Act of 1909 increased the number as fifty. In the Madras Legislative Council twenty-one were official members, others were nominated members. For the first time Indians got some responsibility in the administration of provinces. It introduced the system of communal and class representation and the system of election. The Government of India Act of 1919 had enlarged the Madras Legislature from 50 to 132. While 70 percent of the members of Legislative Council were elected, 30 percent were nominated. The electorate was restricted and there was no universal adult sufferage. The duration of the council became three years and powers of legislators were improved. It introduced direct election. Dyarchy or dual government was introduced in the province. It means rule by two authorities – British and Indians. 1920 Legislative Council Election The Government of India Act, 1919 provided for diarchy in provinces and as a result, a limited responsible Government was introduced in the Madras Presidency. The Congress Party refused to contest the election criticizing the 1919 Reform, but, the Justice Party welcomed the Reforms, contested the elections in November 1920. The Justice Party won a tremendous victory, it captured 63 seats out of 98 seats. A. Volume VIII, Issue II, February/2019 Page No:1701 International Journal of Research ISSN NO:2236-6124 2 SubbarayaluReddiar became the premier (Chief Minister) of the Madras Presidency on December 1920.The Chief Minister was in charge of Education, Public Works, Excise and Registration. The Independent Party got 18 seats. The justice party claimed the support of 18 independent party members bringing up its strength to 81 in the Council. First Ministry of Justice Party – A. Subharayalu Ministry Perungavur Rajagopalachari was appointed as the President of the Legislative Council and Edwin Periyanayakam, ArcotRamasamyMudaliar andP. Subbarayan were made Council Secretaries. Ramarayaningar and KurmaVenkata Reddy Naidu, all Telugu members, became ministers. The Justice Government passed the first communal government order, thereby becoming the first elected body in the Indian legislative history to legislate reservations, which have since become standard policy 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. The Government of India Act of 1919 had restricted women from becoming legislators. The first 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 day for Dr. MuthulakshmiReddi’s nomination to the Council in 1926, when she became the first woman to become a member of any legislature in India. However, A. Subbarayalu resigned on 11 July 1921 soon afterwards on grounds of health, then Ramarayuaningar of Panagal became the Chief Minister. Ramarayaningar Ministry in 1921 After A. Subharayulu resigned the ministry, Ramarayaningarfamiliarly known as Raja of Panagalformed the ministry on 11 July 1921. A.P. Patro, KurmaVenkata Reddy Naid, T.N. Sivagnanam Pillai were important leaders in his ministry. Sivagnanam Pillai was an ardent supporter of empowerment of the depressed classes. Ramarayaningar introduced a number of reforms during his tenure as Chief Minister. Second Ministry of Ramarayaningar – Raja of Panagal In the election held on 31 October 1923, twenty candidates were elected unopposed for seventeen constituencies of the Legislative Council. The Justice Party captured 98 seats and all the ministers the raja of Panagal, K.V. Reddi Naiduand A.P. Patro were elected. Immediately after the results of the election, the Raja of Panagal formed the ministry on 19th November 1923. The Swarajists contested 11 seats and they won all of them.In 1923, the British government bestowed upon Ramarayaningar. No-Confidence Motion After some days a split occurred in the party. Dr. C. Ramalinga Reddy, one of its members moved no-confidence motion against the ministry. On 27 November 1923, a no-confidence motion was moved against the government of the Raja of Panagal. The no-confidence motion was defeated by a margin of 65 votes to 44. The rapid growth of the population of Madras necessitated the expansion on the city and the creation of more residential colonies. To fulfil this requirement, the Madras Town Planning Act of 1920 was passed on 7thSeptember 1920 before the diarchy was established. As per the provision of this Act, numerous town planning measures were taken during the tenure of the Raja of Panagal. The 5 km (3.1 mile) long and 2 km (1.2 mile) broad Long Tank, which extended from Nungambakkam to Saidapet, forming an arc along the city’s western frontier, was drained out in 1923. The development of the Volume VIII, Issue II, February/2019 Page No:1702 International Journal of Research ISSN NO:2236-6124 3 tract to the west of the Long Tank had been initiated by the British Government in 1911 with the construction of a railway station at the village of Marmalan or Mambalam. Following the draining out of the Long Tank, the Justice Party Government of the Ramarayaningar conceived the creation of a residential colony adjoining this little village. The residential colony was named Thyagaraya Nagar after Justice Party stalwart Sir PittiThyagarayaChetty, who had died shortly before the township was inaugurated and was centredaround a park named Panagal Park after the Raja of Panagal. The streets in this new locality were named after prominent members of the Justice Party or officials in the Municipal administration. 1926 Madras Legislative Council Election In the election of 1926, Swaraj Party was outstandingly successful in the Legislative Council election. Swarajists won 41 seats, the Justice Party only 22, and Independent 36. The Swaraj Party had pledged itself to fulfil its principle of abstracting government business by not forming a ministry. C.V.S. Narasimha Raju, the Swaraj Party leader in the Council declined the Governor’s invitation to form a ministry. The Rajah of Panagal also declined to form a ministry on behalf of the Justice Party on the grounds that it would be unable to retain office in the face of Swaraj Party’s majority opposition. Finally, P. Subarayan, formerly of the Justice Party but elected as an Independent in 1927 accepted the office of Chief Minister. Coalition Ministry – P. Subbarayan P. Subbarayan served as the Chief Minister of Madras Presidency from 4 December 1926. A. RanganathaMudaliar, S. MuthaiahMudaliar, R.N. ArogyasamyMudaliar, M.R. SethuramanIyer, were ministers in the Subbarayan ministry. P.Subbarayan’s regime was appointed and largely controlled by the Governor, became the target of strong criticism both from the Justicites as well as the Swarajists. The Simon Commission was appointed by the British Parliament in 1927 to report on the working of the progress of the Montague Chelmsford Reforms. The Swaraj Party moved a resolution to boycott the Commission and this was passed sixty-one to fifty with twelve remaining neutral. Subbarayan opposed the resolution but his cabinet ministers RanganathaMudaliar and ArogyaswamyMudaliar supported it.To prevent the possibility of the formation of a coalition ministry of the Swaraj Party and Justice Party, the Governor stepped in to encourage differences amongst the opposition. However, the Subbarayan Government accorded the commission a warm reception. Third Ministry of Justice Party – B. Muniswamy Naidu In 1930 Justice Party formed the ministry while the Congress launched the Civil Disobedience Movement. In this election Justice Party easily obtained a majority and again formed a ministry. Justice Party won 35 seats. P. MunuswamiNaidu became the Chief Minister on 27 October 1930. During Naidu’s tenure, Madras was confronted with the great depression. He had rivalry with Zamindars and with the Raja of Bobli. Meanwhile, finding from the elections that the non-Brahmins had little to fear politically from the Brahmins, it threw open its membership to the Brahmins with a view to strengthening its organization. Raja of Bobli Ministry, 1932 When P.T. Rajan and S. KumaraswamyReddiar resigned their posts, Munuswamy Naidu began to fear a no-confidence motion. He resigned before such a motion could be Volume VIII, Issue II, February/2019 Page No:1703 International Journal of Research ISSN NO:2236-6124 4 brought forth. Munuswamy Naidu was succeeded by the Raja of Bobbili as Chief Minister.