Congress Ministries at Work (1937-39)
This was the first time in modern Indian history that Indians themselves held the reins of power—even if limited—within a constitutional framework.
It gave the Congress the opportunity to prove in practice what it had long claimed in theory:
that it could not only lead mass movements but also govern responsibly and justly.
🌅 The New Political Climate: “Breathing the Air of Freedom”
When Congress ministries were formed in seven provinces in 1937, the psychological atmosphere across India transformed.
- Ordinary Indians, after nearly two centuries of British rule, felt a sense of victory and self-respect.
- There was a belief that “our own people are now in charge.”
- The expectations from the public soared, and so did the responsibilities of Congress leaders.
This was a test of credibility:
Could Congress prove that self-rule (Swaraj) would be better for the people than British rule?
🧭 A New Standard of Public Service
The Congress ministers—many of whom had been freedom fighters, prisoners, and social reformers—set an example of simplicity, honesty, and accountability rarely seen in colonial governance.
They:
- Reduced their own salaries from ₹2000 to ₹500 per month.
- Traveled in second or third-class railway compartments instead of luxurious first-class coaches.
- Kept their offices open and accessible to common citizens.
Through these symbolic actions, they conveyed a powerful message:
“This is your government — not the ruler’s government.”
It was not about luxury or authority, but about public service.
🕊️ Expansion of Civil Liberties
One of the first priorities of the Congress Ministries was to restore basic freedoms that had been brutally curtailed by the British.
1. Release of Political Prisoners
- Thousands of freedom fighters, revolutionaries, and satyagrahis were released.
- In many provinces, huge public receptions were organised to welcome them — celebrations that alarmed the British.
However, the British Governors of U.P. and Bihar objected to this mass release, forcing the Congress Prime Ministers of both provinces to resign temporarily in protest (February 1938).
Eventually, after negotiations, all prisoners were released by March 1938.
This episode symbolised that Congress leaders were principled in power — they would rather resign than compromise on freedom.
2. Freedom of Press and Association
- Bans on newspapers, radical journals, and organisations were lifted.
- Groups such as the Hindustan Seva Dal and Youth Leagues were allowed to function freely.
- Though the Communist Party remained banned by the Central Government, in Congress-ruled provinces, Communists could work openly without harassment.
3. Curtailing Police Excesses
- Arbitrary searches, arrests, and surveillance were drastically reduced.
- Confiscated arms were returned, and forfeited licenses were restored.
In short, the Congress brought back a climate of civil freedom and dignity—something the Indian people had not experienced for decades.
⚠️ The Limits and Contradictions
However, the record was not spotless.
There were instances where the Right-wing provincial ministers acted somewhat repressively against the Left and socialist groups within Congress:
- In Madras, socialist leaders like Yusuf Meherally and S. S. Batliwala were prosecuted for “inflammatory” speeches.
- In Bombay, K. M. Munshi, as Home Minister, ordered the CID to keep watch on Communists and leftist Congressmen.
These incidents reflected the ideological tension within Congress itself — between the conservative right (which feared radicalism) and the socialist left (which demanded greater liberty).
To their credit, leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and other leftists pressured provincial governments to uphold freedom of expression and avoid colonial-style suppression.
🏴 Congress vs. Non-Congress Provinces
The contrast between Congress-ruled and non-Congress provinces was striking.
| Aspect | Congress Provinces | Non-Congress Provinces (Punjab, Bengal) |
|---|---|---|
| Civil Liberties | Restored and expanded | Still restricted |
| Political Prisoners | Largely released | Continued imprisonment |
| Public Expression | Permitted | Censored |
| Policing | Moderated | Repressive |
Even foreign observers noticed that life in Congress provinces felt freer, more democratic, and more Indian.
🌾 Agrarian Reforms: The Peasants’ Hope
India’s economy in the 1930s was overwhelmingly agrarian.
So, rural reform was at the heart of Congress’s programme — though the ministers faced limited powers and many constraints.
Their efforts focused on:
- Tenancy reforms (protecting tenant farmers from eviction),
- Reduction of rents and taxes,
- Debt relief, and
- Restoration of confiscated lands (especially those seized after the No-Rent Campaign of the Civil Disobedience Movement).
📜 Variation Across Provinces
Agrarian policy differed from province to province depending on:
- Local land relations,
- The social base of the Congress (peasants or landlords), and
- The ideological leaning of provincial leaders.
Let’s look at two instructive examples:
🟢 Bihar
- The Congress leadership here, led by Sri Krishna Sinha, had strong ties with zamindars (landlords).
- Hence, the government adopted a cautious, pro-zamindar policy, even signing a pact with them before passing the Tenancy Bill.
🔴 United Provinces (U.P.)
- The U.P. Congress, influenced by Left-wing leaders, was more radical in its approach.
- It passed a progressive Tenancy Bill, but the Governor refused to give his assent even two years later — proving that British control still overruled Indian reform.
⚙️ Why Agrarian Transformation Fell Short
Despite good intentions, Congress ministries could not abolish the zamindari system or bring about a sweeping land revolution.
Several structural limitations stood in their way:
- Limited powers under the 1935 Act — key areas like land revenue remained under the Governor’s control.
- Reactionary upper houses dominated by landlords and capitalists, who blocked reform bills.
- Weak finances — the provinces lacked sufficient funds to implement large-scale change.
- Short tenure — the ministries ruled for barely two years before resigning in 1939.
- Complex agrarian relations — diverse tenancy systems and social hierarchies made uniform reforms difficult.
So, while the Congress ministries improved conditions modestly, they could not restructure rural India.
⚙️ Labour Policy: Balancing Idealism with Administration
The Congress ministries adopted what can be called a “pro-labour but cautious” approach.
Their intention was twofold:
- To protect workers’ rights and improve conditions, and
- To maintain industrial peace and stability, avoiding confrontation with employers.
Objectives
They tried:
- To advance workers’ interests without paralysing industries,
- To improve working conditions,
- To minimise strikes and lockouts, and
- To promote harmonious relations between labour and capital.
This showed the Congress’s desire to balance class justice with national economic stability.
📋 Congress Labour Committee, 1937
In 1937, the Congress set up a Labour Committee, which framed a progressive programme later accepted by the AICC (All India Congress Committee).
The Committee recommended:
- Holidays with pay,
- Employment insurance,
- Paid sick leave,
- Fixation of minimum wages, and
- State recognition only for peaceful and legitimate trade unions.
These principles were visionary — among the earliest articulations of labour rights in colonial India.
⚖️ The Bombay Experience and the Industrial Disputes Act
However, only the Bombay Province implemented concrete labour legislation.
- It passed the Industrial Disputes Act (1938) to prevent strikes and lockouts by requiring disputes to be settled through conciliation.
- While intended to protect industry and maintain order, the Left wing of the Congress criticised it sharply, arguing it restricted the workers’ right to strike.
Workers’ Reaction
Workers themselves felt betrayed:
“The government has banned the strike — but done nothing against lockouts, which are the weapon of capitalists.”
Strikes broke out, and in one such instance, police firing killed about 20 workers.
This incident exposed the tragic dilemma of the Congress Ministries:
- They sympathised with workers ideologically,
- But as administrators, they often treated labour unrest as a “law and order” problem.
Section 144 (prohibiting public assembly) was sometimes invoked, and trade union leaders were arrested — ironically, by the same Congressmen who had once been jailed by the British!
✍️ Interpretation
This contradiction symbolised a deeper truth:
The Congress had become the ruler within a colonial structure — and thus, even its best intentions were constrained by imperial limits.
It also highlighted the growing gap between the Left (which saw the struggle as class-based) and the Right (which prioritised national unity and stability).
🏭 Industry and Economic Planning
While provincial powers were limited, Congress Ministries did try to encourage modern industries.
The most visionary development came in 1938, under the leadership of Subhas Chandra Bose.
🧩 The National Planning Committee (NPC)
In 1938, as Congress President, Subhas Chandra Bose established the National Planning Committee (NPC) to lay the foundations for a planned national economy — anticipating India’s later Five-Year Plans.
🔹 Key Facts:
- Chairman: Jawaharlal Nehru
- Members included: M. Visvesvaraya, Purushottamdas Thakurdas, Meghnad Saha, Ambalal Sarabhai, and others.
- First meeting: 17 December 1938, at Bombay.
🔹 Objectives:
The NPC aimed to prepare a comprehensive plan for the economic, social, and cultural development of India.
It also set up several subcommittees to study agriculture, industry, labour, education, health, and transport.
This was the first systematic attempt at national economic planning in Indian history — a forerunner to the Planning Commission (1950).
🌾 Constructive Programme: Gandhi’s Influence in Action
Across Congress-ruled provinces, there was a conscious attempt to implement Gandhian ideals through practical policies.
Major Initiatives:
- Prohibition:
- A vigorous campaign against liquor consumption;
- Prohibition introduced in several districts.
- Harijan Upliftment:
- Opening of temples, schools, and public wells to the “untouchables.”
- Social reforms and anti-discrimination drives.
- Village Industries:
- Promotion of khadi, hand-spinning, and cottage industries to revive rural self-reliance.
- Education and Health:
- Improvement of primary and technical education;
- Appointment of honorary doctors in hospitals;
- Attention to public health and sanitation.
- Tribal Welfare and Jail Reforms:
- Schemes for Adivasi welfare, better prison conditions, and humane treatment of inmates.
- Fundamental Rights Declaration:
- Some provincial Congress governments even drafted proto–Fundamental Rights charters — anticipating what the Indian Constitution would later include.
- Repeal of Moplah Outrages Act:
- An old repressive colonial law in Madras, used against the Muslim peasantry, was abolished.
In short, the Congress Ministries used their limited powers to make moral and social governance visible to the masses.
🎓 Education: The Wardha Scheme and “Nai Talim”
The Congress saw education as the foundation of national regeneration.
The Wardha Education Conference (October 1937)
Held under Gandhi’s guidance, this All-India National Education Conference formulated a revolutionary scheme:
Core Proposals:
- Free and compulsory education for seven years for all children,
- Mother tongue as the medium of instruction,
- Emphasis on vocational and manual training.
🧠 Dr. Zakir Hussain’s Basic Education Scheme
Following Wardha, Dr. Zakir Hussain Committee drafted the detailed scheme of “Basic Education” (Nai Talim / Buniyadi Shiksha) — combining learning with productive work.
It aimed to:
- Integrate craft, science, and morality;
- Develop the hands, heart, and head together;
- Make education self-sustaining and rooted in Indian life.
The 1938 Haripura Session of the Congress formally adopted this resolution, making Basic Education a cornerstone of the nationalist vision.
Across several provinces, experimental schools were established — leading to an increase in both literacy rates and school enrolments.
🕊️ The End of the Congress Ministries (1939)
After 28 months in power, the Congress Ministries had to confront the limits of their existence.
Achievements
They:
- Improved civil rights,
- Strengthened education, health, and local governance,
- Curbed official arrogance, and
- Showed Indians that governance was possible with integrity.
Challenges
But they also:
- Faced budgetary shortages,
- Encountered Governor’s vetoes, and
- Could not alter the imperial character of administration.
Moreover, as Gandhi noted in Harijan, many opportunists joined Congress for the sake of office — bringing corruption and bureaucracy into the party.
Gandhi openly criticised this and urged a moral cleansing of the organisation.
⚡ The Final Trigger: Outbreak of World War II
In September 1939, when Britain declared war on Germany, the Viceroy (Lord Linlithgow) unilaterally announced India’s participation in the war — without consulting any Indian leader or legislature.
The Congress protested sharply.
If India was to fight for “freedom and democracy,” shouldn’t India itself be free?
As a result:
- Between October and November 1939, all Congress Ministries resigned in protest.
- It was a powerful moral gesture — rejecting participation in a war for democracy while India remained enslaved.
⚔️ The Aftermath: “Day of Deliverance”
The resignation of the Congress Ministries created two sharply contrasting reactions:
- Nationalists and the general public saw it as an act of dignified protest.
- But Muhammad Ali Jinnah, leader of the Muslim League, celebrated it.
On December 2, 1939, Jinnah called for December 22 to be observed as the “Day of Deliverance” —
a day of thanksgiving for the end of Congress rule.
This event deepened the political divide between the Congress and the Muslim League,
marking the beginning of open communal polarisation that would dominate Indian politics in the 1940s.
🪶 In Summary
The period of Congress Ministries (1937–1939) stands as one of the most instructive chapters in the freedom struggle — a real-world experiment in self-rule within colonial limits.
| Positive Achievements | Limitations / Challenges |
|---|---|
| Restored civil liberties, released political prisoners | Restricted powers under British Act |
| Pro-labour, pro-peasant reforms | Couldn’t transform agrarian structure |
| Introduced Basic Education (Nai Talim) | Some repression of Left movements |
| Encouraged industry, social welfare, prohibition | Financial constraints, Governor’s veto |
| Set ethical standards in politics | Rise of opportunism and corruption |
| Moral resignation against imperial war | Communal divisions re-emerged |
🕯️ The Legacy
Even with all its flaws and constraints, the Congress Ministries period:
- Trained a generation of administrators,
- Proved Indians could govern effectively,
- Expanded democratic culture, and
- Set the stage for the final struggle for independence — the Quit India Movement (1942).
In short, it was the dress rehearsal for Swaraj — a brief but transformative moment when Indians glimpsed the possibilities and responsibilities of freedom.