Second Round Table Conferences - History, List of Participants, and Outcomes!

The Second Round Table Conferences was one of the important conferences held in London from 7 September 1931 to 1 December 1931 as part of the process of constitutional reform in British India. It was attended by Mahatma Gandhi, Indian National Congress, and other prominent leaders. The Conservatives took over the government two weeks before the Conference, replacing the Labour government. During the conference, Gandhi asserted that he represented all of India, but not all delegates agreed with this perspective. The lack of consensus among the attending groups was a major factor contributing to the second Round Table Conference's inability to produce significant results regarding India's constitutional future. Concurrently, civil unrest resurged in India, leading to Gandhi's arrest upon his return, alongside other Congress leaders. Additionally, MacDonald's Communal Award established a separate province of Sind and safeguarded the interests of minorities.

The topic of the Second Round Table Conferences is relevant under the theme of Modern History in the Prelims exam, General Studies (GS – 1) paper, and History Optional paper in Mains. In recent years, UPSC started asking direct factual and Chronological questions in prelims and analytical questions in the Mains exam. This article on Second Round Table Conferences will help you to prepare for the UPSC Civil Services exam.

This article on testbook will discuss in detail the participating members, Important events, and outcomes of the Round Table Conferences.

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What is a Round Table Conference?

A Round Table Conference is a formal meeting bringing together diverse, often conflicting parties to discuss crucial issues and seek agreements through open dialogue and compromise. Imagine a medieval knightly gathering, but for policymakers instead of swords, to tackle complex problems around a circular table, aiming for solutions everyone can accept. The British Government called these RTCs to discuss the report of the Simon Commission. The conference ended without any agreement being reached on the proposed reforms.

History of Round Table Conference

• Introduced in the 1930s by the British Raj as a way to address growing demands for Indian self-rule amidst a complex political landscape.
• Conferences involved diverse participants – British officials, Indian political leaders, representatives of minorities, and princely states.
• Three sessions were held in London between 1930 and 1932.

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Second Round Table Conference

• The second Round Table Conference was held in London from 7th September 1931 to 1st December 1931 after the lack of participation of major leaders and no substantial outcome in the first round table conference.
• The Round Table Conferences were called in response to the inadequacy of the Simon Report.
• These conferences were called initially by Ramsay MacDonald of the Labour Party; later they were held under the regime of the Conservative party.
• Indian National Congress participated in the Second Round Table Conference after the Gandhi-Irwin Pact (1931).

Participants of the Second Round Table Conference

The representatives of the various sections of the Indian society in the second Round Table Conference in London are given below in the following list –

• British representatives

• PM of Britain – James Ramsay Macdonald
• Delegates from various political parties in Britain

• Princely States - Maharajas, Nawabs, Sardar and Deewan of various princely states which includes
•  Alwar
• Darbhanga
• Bhopal
• Bikaner
• Indore
• Jammu and Kashmir
• Patiala
• Manubhai Mehta (Baroda)
• Sardar Sahibzada Sultan Ahmed Khan (Gwalior)
• Sir Muhammad Akbar Hydari (Hyderabad), etc.

• Representatives of the British Indian group

• Mahatma Gandhi – He was the representative of INC along with Rangaswami Iyengar and Madan Mohan Malaviya.
• C. P. Ramaswami Iyer – He was the representative of the Government of British India.

• Muslim representatives

• Aga Khan III – He was the representative of the Muslim League.
• Muhammad Ali Jinnah
• Maulana Shaukat Ali
• A. K. Fazlul Huq
• Muhammad Iqbal

• Hindu representatives

• B. S. Moonje – He was the leader of the Hindu Mahasabha.
• M R Jayakar

• On behalf of Depressed classes - Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
• Sikh representatives - Sardar Ujjal Singh

• Women representatives

• Sarojini Naidu
• Begum Jahanara Shahnawaz
• Radhabai Subbarayan

• Liberal Representatives

• Tej Bahadur Sapru
• Chimanlal Harilal Setalvad

• Representatives of the Labour Class

• N. M. Joshi
• B. Shiva Rao
• V. V. Giri

• Other Representatives

• Industrialists – GD Birla, Purshottamdas Thakurdas.
• Christians
• Parsis
• Anglo-Indian

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Outcomes of Second Round Table Conference

The major outcomes of the Second Round Table Conference are –

• Announcement of the Communal Award also known as the Macdonald Award by British PM Ramsay Macdonald.
• Major differences in opinion came out between the various representatives and the Indian National Congress.
• The conference resulted in a complete failure.
• No substantial constitutional reform was implemented.
• Two separate provinces of Sindh and North-West Frontier Province, were formed after this conference.
• Three expert committees on finance, franchise and states and the Indian Consultative Committee were formed.

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Facts & Figure Table 

Some of the important facts and figures about the Second Round Table Conference are listed in the table below.

Conclusion

The Second Round Table Conference, held from September to December 1931, witnessed the absence of a consensus among Indian political groups, exacerbating the challenges faced during the first conference. Despite Mahatma Gandhi's representation of the Indian National Congress, his views did not align with those of other delegates. This lack of unity among attending groups was a major impediment, failing to produce significant outcomes or resolutions regarding India's constitutional future. Concurrently, civil unrest resumed in India, leading to Gandhi's subsequent arrest upon his return. The conference underscored the deep divisions and differing perspectives among Indian leaders, contributing to the ongoing complexity of the constitutional discussions at the time.

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UPSC Previous Year Questions (PYQs) related to the Round Table Conference

Many voices strengthened and enriched the nationalist movement during the Gandhian phase. Elaborate. [UPSC Civil Services Mains 2019]