Pune Pact is for what?
VerifiedAnswer: For Minorities
Explanation:
The Pune Pact was a significant agreement signed on September 24, 1932, between Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar to address the issue of separate electorates for the depressed classes (now known as Scheduled Castes). This pact emerged as a resolution to the disagreement that arose after the announcement of the Communal Award by British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald.
The background of this pact lies in the Communal Award of 1932, which granted separate electorates to various minorities including Muslims, Sikhs, Indian Christians, Anglo-Indians, Europeans, and most controversially, the depressed classes. While Gandhi accepted separate electorates for other minorities, he strongly opposed the inclusion of depressed classes in this category, arguing that it would permanently divide Hindu society.
Gandhi's opposition to separate electorates for depressed classes led him to undertake a fast unto death in Yerwada Jail, Pune. This created immense pressure on Dr. Ambedkar and other leaders to find a solution. After intense negotiations, the Pune Pact was reached, which replaced the separate electorate system with reserved seats within the general electorate.
The key provisions of the Pune Pact included:
• Abolition of separate electorates for depressed classes • Increase in reserved seats for depressed classes from 71 to 147 in provincial legislatures • 18 reserved seats in the Central Legislature • Establishment of a joint electorate system where depressed class candidates would be elected by all voters in the constituency • Primary election among depressed class voters to select their candidates for the general election
The pact also included provisions for adequate representation of depressed classes in government services and measures for their educational advancement. It emphasized the need to remove social disabilities and promote temple entry rights for the depressed classes.
The Pune Pact was significant because it established the principle of reservation system that continues to this day in independent India. While Dr. Ambedkar later expressed regrets about signing this pact, feeling that it compromised the political rights of depressed classes, it nonetheless provided a framework for their political representation and social advancement.
