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The Communal Award was announced in which year?
A. 1928
B. 1930
C. 1932
D. 1935
Correct Answer Is Option = 1932
Notes / Explanation
The Communal Award was announced in 1932 by the British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald, and it dealt with the sensitive question of how different communities in the subcontinent would be represented in the legislatures. The award came at a time when the various political parties had failed to reach an agreement among themselves on the issue of representation during the Round Table Conferences held in London. When the leaders could not settle the matter through mutual understanding, the British government decided to impose its own solution, and this solution was the Communal Award. The most important feature of the award was that it preserved and extended the principle of separate electorates, which meant that different communities, including Muslims, Sikhs, Christians and others, would elect their representatives through constituencies reserved exclusively for them. The award also granted separate representation to the depressed classes, a decision that created significant controversy within Hindu society and led to strong objections from certain Hindu leaders who feared that it would permanently divide their community. For Muslims, the Communal Award was generally seen as a positive development because it confirmed their right to separate representation, which they regarded as an essential safeguard for protecting their political existence in a society where they were numerically a minority at the all-India level. At the same time, the award did not fully satisfy Muslim demands in every province, and Muslim leaders continued to press for additional protections. The Communal Award is important in the constitutional history of the subcontinent because it demonstrated once again that the different communities were unable to agree on a common formula for sharing power, and that the question of separate identity and representation lay at the very heart of the political conflict. This deepening divide over representation was one of the underlying currents that eventually strengthened the demand for a separate homeland where Muslims could govern themselves without fear of domination. For PPSC and similar examinations, students should remember that the Communal Award was announced in 1932, that it was issued by the British government under Ramsay MacDonald, and that its central feature was the continuation and extension of separate electorates for the various communities, including special provisions for the depressed classes.
