Government of India Act of 1935 and Policy of Equal Federation
The Government of India Act of 1935 provided a scheme of federation in which the princely states were to be brought into a direct constitutional relationship with British India. Under the Act, States were to send representatives to the Federal Legislative. They would be nominees of the rulers of these states and not democratically elected representatives of the people. These representatives were one third of total number of Federal Legislatures. The Federation of India was to come into existence only when rulers of states representing not less than one-half of the total population of the state and entitled to not less than half of seat allotted to the states in the upper house of the Federal Legislature agreed to join the Federation.
The question is – what were motive behind the policy of equal federation? Was it the last attempt to use the Princely states as the ‘Breakwaters in the Storm’?
The purpose of the policy of equal Federation towards Indian states was to have the help of Princely States to reduce the influence of National movement. The rulers of the Native States were bound to be very loyal to their British connection. It was why in the scheme of federation, these rulers were to select the representatives of the states. It was considered that it would be difficult for a general rebellion against the British to sweep India because of this network of powerful loyal native states. In this phase, the people of the Princely States had awaken for civil liberties and responsible government. But the British wanted the help of Princely States to maintain their power.
In this way, the presence of the rulers in the Central Legislature was matter of vital interest for British rulers in India as they mostly relied upon this reactionary element to keep down, at least moderate, the democratic element in British India. The British Government undoubtedly devised the federation in the hope that the mutual jealousies and rivalries between the Congress, the Muslim League, and the Rulers of States would enable them to retain the real authority by playing off one against the other. They could therefore never think of introducing Responsible Government in the centre, even in a modified or diluted form, without roping in the rulers within the Federation. The Rulers feared that their own subjects would demand similar reforms, and such demands would be hard to resist once the States formed a part of the Federation of India. The Rulers of the States felt that with the introduction of new Constitution in the Provinces, the contrast between the forms of Government in British India and those in States would be more and more glaring.
