why did the congress simon commision formed
Answers
In the year 1918, constitutional and government reforms were made by the colonial British Government for India. These were called the Montagu-Chelmsford reforms after the then Secretary of State for India, Edwin Montagu and the then Viceroy of India, Lord Chelmsford. These reforms were implemented through the Government of India Act, 1919 (The Act came into force in 1921).
The Montagu-Chelmsford report also contained a clause that the working of these reforms should be reviewed after 10 years of implementation to suggest improvements, if any. This review was supposed to be carried out in 1929. But much before the due date, back in England, the ruling Conservative Party feared defeat at the hands of Labour Party in upcoming elections. It did not want to leave the question of the future of Britain’s most prized colony in their hands. Thus, two years before schedule the Indian Statutory Commission was appointed in November, 1927- an all white, seven member body with Sir John Simon as the chairman. (Clement Attlee was also a member of this Commission. Attlee would later become sympathetic to the Indian cause for freedom. He became the Prime Minister of UK in 1945 and arranged and supervised the decolonisation of the British Empire, including the independence of India, Burma, Ceylon, Palestine and Jordan.)
The Indian Statutory Commission was also known as the Simon Commission (after the chairperson, John Simon) and White Men Commission (as a sign of protest at the exclusion of Indians from a body which was supposed to decide whether India was fit for self-rule).
The Commission landed in British India at Bombay on February 3, 1928. “Simon Go Back” became the slogan of the masses and protests, demonstrations, strikes were used by the Indian leaders to boycott the Commission wherever it went. Jawahar Lal Nehru and Subhash Bose became the face of youth protests of this time. On 30 October 1928, the Commission arrived in Lahore where it was met by protesters waving black flags. The protest was led by Indian nationalist Lala Lajpat Rai, who had moved a resolution against the Commission in the Legislative Assembly of Punjab in February 1928. In order to make way for the Commission, the local police force began beating protesters. Lala Lajpat Rai received severe blows to his chest which proved to be fatal and he died in November. His words, "Every blow made upon me will act like a nail in the coffin of the British empire" proved prophetic, as British officer Saunders was assassinated soon after and following a chain of events revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru were hanged to death. Their martyrdom galvanized the Indian nation to revive the freedom struggle with more vigour.
Simon Commission
The Government of India Act of 1919 was essentially transitional in character. Under Section 84 of the said Act, a statutory commission was to be appointed at the end of ten years, to determine the next stage in the realization of self-rule in India.
The British government appointed a commission under Sir John Simon in November 1927. The commission, which had no Indian members, was being sent to investigate India's constitutional problems and make recommendations to the government on the future constitution of India. The Congress decided to boycott the Simon Commission and challenged Lord Birkenhead, Secretary of State for India, to produce a constitution acceptable to the various elements in India.
There was a clear split in the Muslim League. Sir Muhammad Shafi, who wanted to cooperate with the commission, decided to convene a Muslim League session in Lahore in December 1927.
The other faction led by Jinnah stood for the boycott of the commission. This faction held a Muslim League session at Calcutta, and decided to form a subcommittee to confer with the working committee of the Indian National Congress and other organizations, with a view to draft a constitution for India.